Ragnarok Chronicles: A Triple Payon Forest Threat
by Thiji Higuri
Summary: Chapter 3 of my remastered Ragnarok Chronicles series. Now that White Trinity has established defenses in their newly-conquered Emperium Pyramid, a new threat looms as adventurers from a guild bearing the mark of the Church of Odin make their arrival. This guild is known as the Holy Saviors, led by the shady Priestess Tsubaki, and an explosive battle erupts within Payon Forest!


The Emperium Frontier has thus far unleashed two installations within the Rune-Midgarts kingdom: the Emperium Fortress based within the Capital City of Prontera; and the Emperium Pyramid far to the Southwest, stationed on Beacon Island. _White Trinity _had successfully conquered both facilities at the hands of the _Battle Vixens _and seized two Emperium Stones for themselves. However, a dark Priestess by the name of Tsubaki attempted to assail the Wizard, Thiji, and the Ninja, Raien, during their well-deserved R&R.

After a long three weeks, a fragile peace had settled over the land once more. A week ago, in order to cover their backs, _White Trinity _sent Thiji Higuri over to Pharos to oversee the fortifications undergoing within the Emperium Pyramid, while Ray, Lee, and Raien kept a vigil over the Emperium Fortress in Mt. Mjolnir. During that time, the three had done their own training, honing their skills in case their perennial enemy would rear its ugly head. However, they were beginning to grow bored from waiting on the new installation, and were on the verge of leaving their post, until…

"Guys, look over there!" alerted Raien to a woman suspiciously approaching the Emperium Fortress. "I think we got ourselves a trespasser."

"Finally, some action!" cheered the eager Ray Kaza, looking over the balcony. Without a second thought, he stood upon the ledge and gestured to his companions. "Come, _Trinities! _Let's engage!"

Ray, followed by Raien and Lee, vault off of the balcony and stand before the woman in question, whom was sporting some dark clothing…

Ray: Going somewhere, Miss?

Raien: Hold on… I know that face. You're –

Tsubaki, chuckling: Tsubaki, at your service. And you must be the Lightning Ninja, Raien; the Monk, Lee; and _you _must be the leader – the Gun-Knight, Ray Kaza.

Lee: Do… I know you?

Raien: Who cares if you know her? She's kind of hot!

Ray, stepping forward: Whatever. What do you want, Tsubaki? You were coming awfully close towards the Fortress.

Tsubaki: Well, I never… Can a woman not enjoy a little sightseeing? I was getting bored, so I had decided to spend some time here, in the Prontera region.

Lee: I see… but, you should probably be over at the Monastery, in that case.

Tsubaki: The Monastery?

Lee: Yes. All holy ones usually go to the Monastery for studying. It's the large building located –

Tsubaki: I know what and where the Monastery is, but thank you anyway.

The _Trinities _throw a concerned glare at the woman, resulting in an awkward pause.

Tsubaki: You don't actually think that I would try to steal your Ruby Emperium, do you? (Laughs airily) You boys should calm yourself. I am but a solitary Priestess; there is no way I could possibly breach this Fortress.

Raien: Indeed that is; you'd be vastly outnumbered anyway.

Tsubaki, giggling: You should learn that numbers do not win a battle.

The "Priestess" scans the area for a moment and sighs.

Tsubaki: Where is your Wizard friend, Thiji?

Raien: He's off somewhere. Why?

Tsubaki: Oh, just asking. I was hoping to meet all four of you, but here I stand seeing only you three. Such a pity. Ahh, well. Perhaps the time will come when I _do. _

She gives a gentle bow and with a turn of her heel, begins walking away, glaring at them from the corner of her eye.

Tsubaki: I should be going, now. Have a splendid day, gentlemen…

Once she was out of earshot…

Ray: O-kay, is anyone else getting a chill down their spine from that woman?

Raien: No, but I'll tell you what I _do _have!

Lee: Hey, too much information, Raien. We need to find out what that woman's deal is.

Raien: What do you mean?

Lee: Well, first off, she knew what our names were without us even introducing ourselves.

Ray: Calm down, Lee. We've been kicking ass in the Emperium Frontier; word tends to spread quickly. It's called "building a reputation."

Lee: Well, she seemed eager to meet all _four _of us, yet Thiji is still over at the Sograt Desert…

Ray: Good point… She didn't seem so very thrilled when she learned of Thiji's absence.

Raien: We may be thinking too hard on this one, guys. She's just one Priestess!

Ray: She looked way too damn dark to be a regular Priestess…

Raien: At any rate, we'll keep our guard up, of course, but let's enjoy our peace while we can.

Lee: May as well. Thiji's sent a report two nights ago that the Guardians were near completion, so all seems well. Let's head back inside.

Meanwhile, Tsubaki made her way down the mountain, a white serpent slithering up her robe and into her arms…

"_Numbers do not win a battle, yes. But they definitely help. In that case, I should enlist some. And with that Wizard detached from the others, it will be easier for me to seize control of the situation," _she thought to herself. _"So, what am I waiting for…?"_

After an hour of journeying, she would make it back to the Capital. At the river that flowed through the plains, was a certain blue-haired Assassin that was taking a bath. She had spotted the Priestess in black and decided to tail her…

"Who on earth is that? I don't remember seeing someone like her around here…" whispered Heal-Do to herself. Quickly clothing herself, she hurried to the city before she would lose sight of Tsubaki. She followed her closely until she made it all the way to the Monastery, where she was greeted by a fellow Priestess with a bow. But Heal-Do's presence would be made known to Tsubaki, and would immediately confront her…

Tsubaki: Didn't Mother teach you that it is bad to follow strangers?

Heal-Do: I'm an Assassin. Why should that be of your concern?

Tsubaki: An Assassin, you say? Were you perhaps sent to kill me? Before the House of our lord Odin?

Heal-Do: What?! N-No! Fortunately for you, anyway…

Tsubaki: I take it you must be Heal-Do of the _Battle Vixens. _I must say it is quite an honor to meet the sworn rivals of _White Trinity. _

Heal-Do: Just who exactly are you?

Tsubaki: Tsubaki is my name, if you are so eager to know. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some business to attend to with my fellow clergy. The fighting between the two of you will make it simple for the _Holy Saviors _to take victory in the Emperium Frontier. Ta-ta.

As Tsubaki entered the Monastery, Heal-Do noticed the white serpent jutting from her sleeve. Was it perhaps some pet of hers? Whatever it must be, Heal-Do shook the thought and casually made her way out of the city, but not before noticing a group of what seemed to be adventurers marching west out of the town square, holding banners of a guild that is as of yet unknown to her. Choosing not to be distracted further, she exited the city from the opposite direction.

Hours later, the sun would begin to set upon the Rune-Midgarts kingdom. Out on Beacon Island, Thiji was hard at work seeing to the completion of the defenses. With him was his colleague, the eccentric Kafra Nora.

Nora: All righty, Lord Thiji! Things are lookin' great for the Pyramid!

Thiji: How are the defenses?

Nora: Well, both of the Guardian Stones are up and running and have begun Guardian production!

Thiji: Splendid. Now I can return to the others and deliver a successful report.

Nora: Right! I'll go ahead and have you sent straight to –

Suddenly, one of Nora's associates emerges from the hill overlooking the Beacon Island. She rushes down and approaches the two, an alarmed expression on her face.

Kafra Pavianne: (Panting) Nora! Nora! We've got trouble!

Nora: What is it, Pav?

Kafra Pavianne: Come look! Come on!

The purple-haired Kafra employee hurriedly takes the two over the hill and points toward the horizon. Taking out a pair of binoculars, Nora notices a large force of men and women marching across the Sograt Desert.

Nora: Oh, my goodness, Pav. You weren't kiddin'! Looks like a group of 'em are comin' this way!

Thiji: A group…? That's two regiments; that's eight-hundred soldiers.

Nora: They're waving some banners that I've never seen before… Do you have any idea who they are, Thiji?

Thiji: No, but that report is going to have to wait, it seems. We can't just sit here and let them usurp the place. Can you help me, Nora?

Nora: You know I can't, given the position I hold!

Thiji: Oh. Right. Conflict of interest and the like. Very well, then. What are our other assets?

Kafra Pavianne: The barricades are set up, and the Guardian Stones are online. The defense rating is at maximum: 100/100, and it has been at least an hour since they were constructed.

Thiji: That leaves us with how many Guardians?

Kafra Pavianne: The maximum number possible: ten. You've six Sword Guardians and four Bow Guardians. But there's a problem: the stones are the first line of defense. The barricades are impenetrable unless the stones are destroyed first, but that will cripple Guardian production. Also, it will automatically deactivate any active Guardians produced by that stone.

Nora: Thanks for the info, Pav! Go back to HQ and see if you can find some dirt on these guys!

Kafra Pavianne: Yes, ma'am!

Pavianne gave a bow before focusing her powers to teleport herself out of the desert, leaving the two of them to the encroaching army.

Thiji: You're not going with her?

Nora: I said I couldn't help you, right? But I didn't say I could help you _indirectly!_ I'll control the Guardians from the facility and you can provide them support! We should give these bad boys a test run anyway!

Thiji: Yes, but I feel that I should not engage in battle directly not because of sheer numerical differences, but I don't want to risk tarnishing _White Trinity's_ name from attacking a group of adventurers.

Nora: What's on your mind, then?

Thiji: You can control the Guardians while I give any special commands.

Nora: Roger that! Let's head back to the Pyramid, then!

Meanwhile, across the sea, Heal-Do caught a ferry from Alberta that was bound for Amatsu. Twilight was approaching as the sun had nearly vanished from sight upon the horizon, and the Assassin stared at her reflection in the water, lost in her mind…

"_Who is this Tsubaki…? How does she know my name? More importantly, the guild that I serve? And what are the _Holy Saviors?_ She can't possibly be a Priestess, not with _those _kinds of dark colors. She has to be something more… At least I can tell my sisters what I've learned, though it's not much to lead on."_

Heal-Do heaved a heavy sigh and sat on the deck of the ship as she continued her journey back home. Back on Beacon Island, the enemy was closing in, and Thiji, along with Kafra Nora, had made it back to what appeared to be a control room of sorts within the Emperium Pyramid. There were multiple monitors giving an ample view of the outlying area. Nora flipped into the air and landed on the command chair, taking control of the Guardians with the push of a button!

Nora: All righty! All ten Guardians are standin' by and at our disposal!

Thiji: Excellent. Now, let's see…

The Wizard takes a moment to gaze at each individual monitor, surveying the area with great scrutiny.

Thiji: Before we deploy them, we should find out what exactly it is we're dealing with.

Nora: Not a problem! In fact, they're comin' onscreen now! It looks like… 400 Swordsmen; 200 Acolytes; and 200 Novices.

Thiji: So it's a regiment of Swordsmen, and two companies of Acolytes and Novices which form a battalion respectively, totaling to 800, which forms a group…

Nora: What've ya got in mind?

Thiji: Send Sword Guardians 1 through 4 to the bridges, one on both ends. Have Bow Guardians 1 and 2 on the far end of the bridge; 3 and 4 will defend the stones.

Nora: You got it! We still have two more Sword Guardians unaccounted for!

Thiji: Keep them on reserve for now. We will adapt to the situation as the battle unfolds.

Nora cracks her knuckles and with a rapid series of button presses, sends the Guardians to their designated positions, placing the ones on the bridge aside like statues.

Thiji: Under the cover of night, they will be hard-pressed to see the Guardians fully given their dark coloration. But depending on whom they send in first, we may be able to expedite this defense. If they came all the way down here on foot from their point of origin, then this forced march will have undoubtedly taken a huge hit on their morale. If they were smart, they would have consulted Kafra services to teleport to Morroc and journey the rest of the way from there.

Nora: Then it looks like we playin' the waitin' game for a bit!

By this time, dusk had well arrived as the two kept a vigil over the Beacon Island outskirts. Back at the Emperium Fortress, the three were practicing their skills on some training dummies. Ray touched up on his targeting utilizing only his pistol; Raien jumped from canopy to canopy, throwing electric shuriken at mobile targets; Lee trained his martial arts on Wing Chun dummies, trying to perfect his Iron Fists technique…

Ray: Hell, yeah! Looking good, fellas!

Lee: Got to stay sharp for those _Battle Vixens_!

Raien: And even sharper for what may lie ahead! Speaking of which, have any of you heard from Thiji yet?

Ray: Nope. We already established that he's still at the Sograt Desert.

Raien: I know. I just worry for the guy.

Lee: Well, he's our strategist, and he opted to go to the Pyramid alone, anyway. I'm sure he knows what he's doing.

Raien: Well, if he doesn't come back first thing tomorrow morning, we're retrieving his ass!

Ray: I suppose we may as well. Who knows when the next facility will show itself? We gotta beat the competition, after all.

Lee: And there's no way we're beating the competition if we don't take a rest every now and again. Let's call it a night, shall we?

Raien: Fine.

As the three agree to retire for the evening, back on Beacon Island, Thiji and Nora patiently await the encroaching enemy forces…

Thiji: Say, Madam Shuji?

Nora: What is it, dear?

Thiji: Since they're taking their good time marching here, we should kill a little more time.

Nora: I agree! But what'd you have in mind?

Thiji: I've been meaning to inquire about the town of Morroc. How was it and the surrounding area formed?

Nora: There's actually a nice little story about that! Here!

She presses a few buttons on the console and the screens reveal portraits of the town of Morroc, along with several other important figures that influenced its creation, and the Sograt Desert.

Nora: Well… long, long ago, a _very _big event influential to the Rune-Midgarts Kingdom took place – The Thousand-Year War! The participants of this conflict were the Aesir –Gods hailing from Asgard; the Vanir – Gods hailing from Vanaheim; and the fire Jotunn, hailing from Muspelheim. The destructive force of the fire Jotunn caused immense damage to the Midgard continent.

Thiji: Hm… Gods versus Giants. Go on.

Nora: The commander of the Jotunn at the time was named Surt. He was confronted by the King of Gods, Odin, and Jaoong, which led to Surt's eventual demise. However, the fallout from the resulting battle caused the Dayr Ocean to dry up into an arid desert, littered with the bodies of Muspel giants!

Thiji: And let me guess. This Dayr Ocean turned into -?

Nora: Yup! The Sograt Desert we now see before us today!

Thiji: What of the giants' fate?

Nora: Their bodies had changed as time as by, turning into a very precious mineral known as Pilanium. Now, this mineral was precious because it not only fueled the fiery sword that Surt wielded, but the budding tribes around the desert had begun to create Pilanium mines in an effort to hoard this rare resource.

Thiji: And this would cause the tribes to war amongst each other, vying for control over them…

Nora: You got it! But eventually, an empire would rise from these tribes: the Solvive Empire. Its ruler was none other than the Great King Osiris, but his brother Set, the King of Blood, who assassinated Osiris out of jealousy.

Thiji: "King of Blood"?

Nora: He got that moniker for killin' any Solvive that opposed his rule.

Thiji: Ahh. Uh, going back to Surt…

Nora: Oh, yeah! Sometime later, after the Solvive, Surt returned to Midgard to wreak havoc once more. However, the only person standing in his way at the time was a lone Mage-Knight of incredible power named Thanatos. He battled the ferocious demonic Jotunn for ten straight days! Their struggle raged all over, but in the end, on the tenth day, Thanatos came out victorious, and as a result, he sealed Surt away, beneath the earth, so that he would no longer cause destruction upon the realm.

Thiji: Amazing… But, how exactly was he able to seal the demon away?

The teal-colored Kafra gestured to another screen that showed a large castle in the center of the city.

Nora: You see, because Surt was so powerful, Thanatos needed to find a means to protect the seal to ensure that the demon would be locked away for good. Thus, the people of Rune-Midgarts constructed a shrine directly upon the seal!

Thiji: You mean to tell me that that castle – the castle that now stands in the middle of the city – has a _purpose?_

Nora: Well, it certainly does more than provide the chief with a place to live! Before too long after its construction, buildings, tents and the like were starting to form around the castle, and the new-founded city took after the name of the great demon that was sealed long ago… Morroc!

Thiji: Wow…

Nora: They are also home to the guild of Soul Linkers, and the nearby Pyramids are where the Thieves' Guild call home! Just some miscellaneous information for 'ya!

Thiji: I see… thank you for sharing that, Madam Shuji.

Nora: You're most certainly welcome! And look! Right on cue; our guests have finally arrived!

She presses a couple buttons and reverts the screens back to their regular settings before giving Thiji a thumbs up. Meanwhile, the army of adventurers marched upon the Beacon Island without hesitation, approaching the bridges that led to the Emperium Pyramid prior. The regiment of Swordsmen advanced on the bridge, ignoring the statues that stood silent as they passed through.

"Awaiting orders!" spoke Nora, her fingers itching to hit the buttons. The Wizard lifted his hand, silently giving the order to stand by. After a while, the Swordsmen had finally reached the opposite end of the bridge, only to be stopped by a pair of crossed swords. Murmurs spread throughout the regiment, confused at the sudden halt.

"Let us have a little fun…" chuckled Thiji, giving the order to activate the Guardians. With the push of a button, the Guardians sprung to life and surrounded the Swordsmen on the bridge! One of the Sword Guardians at the van took its blade and swung it laterally, knocking out a considerable number, and sending several groups plummeting into the waters below. "Whoa! Whoa! D-Don't _kill _them!" cried the Wizard. "Just incapacitate them or something! We don't want to stoop to the _Battle Vixens' _level!"

"Uh, right! Right! Sorry!" acknowledged Nora, hastily creating a protocol for the Sword Guardians to use their swords defensively. After noticing the struggling Swordsmen, the leader of the group called in the Acolytes for ranged support. Before long, the Sword Guardians were being overwhelmed by continuous volleys of Holy Light.

"Keep firing!" commanded the group leader.

"Sword Guardians 1 and 2 have sustained heavy damage; 3 and 4 are being overrun!" reported Nora.

"Do these Guardians have any sort of special attacks we can use?" asked Thiji. Looking around for a moment, Nora, noticed several colored buttons on the far end.

"Oh, look at that. They do! Good call!" she answered. "Looks like this one is… Arrow Shower!"

"Have the Bow Guardians use that to harass the Acolytes; put the Sword Guardians on Autopilot!" the Wizard ordered.

Moments later, the Bow Guardians would spring into action and aim toward the hills leading to the island, while the Sword Guardians glowed with a bright aura as the Swordsmen that struck their mighty blows against the constructs would find themselves injured just as they struck. Before the Acolytes could fire another volley, they found themselves surrounded by an unending shower of arrows, ducking and covering – and ultimately breaking formation – as a result from the chaos.

"All right! That takes care of that! Shall we wrap this up?!" said Nora, slamming down on a large, red button with her fist, causing the Sword Guardians to form a wall and charge full speed down the bridge, pushing the Swordsmen back and out of the perimeter.

"What the hell…?! How did we -? Our entire army was beaten by… by a handful of statues?! Retreat! Full retreat!" shouted the group leader in fright, gathering whatever able-bodied adventurers they could and immediately began to fall back. The Novices simply watched, frozen in fear. The Guardians walked back toward the Pyramid, leaving the Swordsmen alone long enough for them to come to and follow their army back to the mainland, shaking the Novices from their fear as they did.

"Yeah! Y'all just got wrecked!" cheered the teal Kafra jumping out of her seat. With the immediate threat now dealt with, Thiji gave a sigh of relief as Nora's jubilation would be interrupted by a beeping sound coming from her left ear. "Oh, I gotta take this, Thiji. It's a Kafra colleague." The Wizard nodded and sat down, waiting patiently…

"This is Kafra Executive Nora speaking. Oh, hey there! Yeah, sorry, I was caught up with some business down by Beacon Island, otherwise I'd have returned to headquarters a long time ago. Wait, what? Oh, she did, did she? Excellent! I'll let him know straight away! Thank ya, dear!"

"Something the matter?" asked Thiji.

"Pav just found some information on those adventurers we drove away!" she explained. "She just returned to HQ!"

"I see. Perhaps I should go back to the Fortress and inform the others." said the Wizard.

"No, no, no! You leave that to me, all right? We got this all under control!" replied the teal Kafra. "Just let the others know to look at their television the following mornin'! I'll take you back to the Emperium Fortress directly usin' my executive powers!"

The Wizard nodded and closed his eyes. As Kafra Nora clapped her hands, Thiji is drawn into a portal. Reopening his eyes, he finds himself on his room balcony – he had returned to the Emperium Fortress. He searched about his person for a moment to make sure that nothing was lost or misplaced before he turned back to walk into his room, only to be stopped by Raien, who was seen crouched upon the rooftop.

Raien: Hey, you. Where the hell have you been?

Thiji: Raien, I –

Raien: The others were worried sick about you. Find yourself a nice lady already, did you?

Thiji: What? No. You know why I was gone for so long: to oversee the defense of the Emperium Pyramid.

Raien: Oh, yeah, the Pyramid. You know, I should've done that instead; I was the one that discovered it first!

Thiji: But… we all elected that I were to go, remember?

Raien: Oh, we _did, _didn't we? Well, we also elected that we were gonna come and get you ourselves if you didn't show up by morning!

Thiji: Your concern for me is appreciated, brother, but I assure you that everything is under control. Let us retire, shall we?

Raien: Fine, then.

Thiji: Oh, and let's keep an eye on the news for tomorrow.

He drops down from the roof and would begin exiting the room. At last, Heal-Do had returned to the Land of Destiny, where her and her sisters make their home. Under the cover of night, she swiftly made her way back to her base using the shadows to her advantage until she finally arrived at the entrance. Lupi notices her baby sister approaching, though she appeared to be out of breath for some reason…

Lupi: Welcome back, sis. Why the heck are you tired?

Heal-Do: (Panting) I… I have some news for you all.

Aege: Uh, news? I could have sworn you said you were just taking a walk through Prontera fields.

Lupi: Let the girl catch her breath first. Elua!

Elua: Yes!

Lupi: Let's get some Autumn Red Tea brewing.

Elua: Ahh, our favorite! Right away!

About ten minutes later, they would retire to their living room. Elua brought in small teapot and four cups to distribute to the others.

Heal-Do: Thank you for the tea, sister.

Elua: No problem! You needed a nice pick-me-up, anyway! So, what was it you wanted to tell us?

Heal-Do: I have reason to believe that we may be running into another guild at the Emperium Frontier…

Lupi: A third guild?

Aege: How can you be so sure?

Heal-Do, taking a sip of her tea: I ran into a woman that said something about the _Holy Saviors…_ Does that sound familiar to anyone?

Elua: Uh-uh… You, Mukuhawk?

Her falcon shakes its head.

Aege: What did this woman look like?

Heal-Do: She had black robes, mostly. Her name was Tsubaki; she might be a Priestess.

Lupi: Since when do Priestesses wear dark clothing?

Elua: You're right, big sis. This Tsubaki girl sounds fishy.

Aege: Seems like they'll bring _anyone _into the Orthodoxy these days. Best that we keep our eyes open out there.

Heal-Do: Okay.

Lupi: Even if there _is_ another guild out there trying to burst into our rivalry with those _Trinities, _they'll meet the same fate that will soon come to them. Don't worry about it, baby sister. Let's get some sleep.

Lupi finished her tea in seconds and got up from her seat to retire for the eve. The other sisters followed suit as Elua collected the dishes. Meanwhile, in the dead of night, in an abandoned mine, Tsubaki had emerged from the darkness, clasping what appeared to be an animated piece of obsidian ore in her left hand. She shot a glare at the rock, and then at the crescent moon in the skies above as a smirk crept upon her face…

"Excellent…" she chuckled. "With these, I can even the playing field. Watch yourself, _Wizard._ You are not the only one in this land that knows strategy…"

Her hand glowed with shadow energy, which fused itself with the obsidian. Crushing it in her hand, it broke off into small fragments, and after doing so, Tsubaki gave out a wicked chuckle that echoed into the night sky… Her dark plan – whatever it may be – would soon be brought to light.

After the long night had passed, the dawn would arrive upon Rune-Midgarts, and the boys of _White Trinity _were up bright and early for their morning training regimen, save for Thiji whom was inside the Fortress keeping an eye on the news. Remembering what the Wizard had said last night, Raien called off the sparring for a moment and told them all to head back inside the Emperium Fortress, finding Thiji within…

Lee: You interrupted our training for this?

Thiji: I assure you, Kafra Nora told me to –

Raien: Wait, _Nora _told you to watch the news? Oh, yeah, then we definitely have to sit down for this.

Ray: You mean that crazy, teal-haired, teal-uniformed Kafra lady that punched out a Clock Tower Manager back at Comodo Beach a couple months ago?

Thiji: The very same.

Lee: I really need to see if I can learn a few things from her… She fights just like a Monk would.

Ray: So, what exactly are we supposed to be watching T.V. for?

Thiji: We will find out right now; the report is coming on.

The four found a seat in front of the television and made themselves comfortable. After a moment of waiting, the news broadcast would arrive on-screen…

"_Good morning, people of Rune-Midgarts, and thank you for tuning in today! We are coming to you live from Kafra Headquarters in Al De Baran. My name is Glaris, and today we've a special bulletin that will be given by our own field operative, the ever-spunky Kafra Nora! The floor is yours, ma'am."_

"_Thank ya, Glaris! And gooood mornin', Rune-Midgarts! Live from Beacon Island, I am Nora, and I've got quite the news that'll wake you up!"_

"The sun isn't even fully up yet and she's energetic as hell!" commented Ray, who was then shushed by the other three.

"_Yesterday afternoon, a group of adventurers donning silver-white garments had traversed the scorching Sograt Desert! Why? Perhaps to take on the Emperium Pyramid, just recently conquered by _White Trinity, _led by their fearless leader, Ray Kaza!"_

"Oh, yeah! My name was said on the news!" cheered the Gun-Knight, fist pumping.

"_The defenses were established shortly after the battle to ensure its safety from being captured, and when the group arrived, they were met by a small squadron of statue-like soldiers known as Guardians! This 10-on-800 battle resulted in a shocking upset as the adventurers were sent packin' after taking heavy damage! Fortunately, there were no confirmed fatalities, and all of 'em were sent home safely – though a few were sent plummetin' to the sea below... Here's footage on the battle that took place just outside of the Pyramid!"_

Raien, Ray, and Lee watched in awe as they witnessed the footage of the Guardians taking on large odds. Thiji was sucking his teeth the entire time, trying to feign interest. However, they were not the only ones watching the broadcast…

Lupi: What. The. Hell. They built _Guardians?!_

Heal-Do: That's menacing… Do we even have the skills to overpower those?

Aege: Not unless we want to become swiss cheese.

Lupi: This can't be…

Elua: I know! Those adventurers aren't even _trying_ to dodge!

Lupi: No, you idiot! I meant the Guardians! How the hell did we let them build defenses?!

Aege: There was nothing we could do, sister; they beat us fair and square.

Lupi, shouting: Nobody asked you! We're just going to have to fight harder! They _are_ our rivals, and we _will _reclaim our position as the best guild!

Heal-Do: Then we'd better work on our techniques, or we could be caught off-guard again…

Just then, Heal-Do noticed the banners that were being held by some of the adventurers and recognized the colors.

Heal-Do: Wait… Could it be –?

Elua: What did you find, baby sister?

Heal-Do: Those colors! I've seen them before! The same silver and blue! I saw them when I ran into that Priestess in Prontera!

Aege: Then damn the Guardians for a moment, who are _they?_

The four women kept quiet as the footage ran its course until the screen revealed Nora once more… Meanwhile, in Prontera Square, Tsubaki watched the footage from the shadows and scoffed before teleporting away to gods know where.

"_Quite the display of power! Guardians are not ta' be trifled with! And what's more interesting was the opponents the colossal soldiers were facing: donning garments of silver and white, with blue undertones, these brave and lucky men and women hail from the less-heard of guild known as the _Holy Saviors!"

"_Holy Saviors?!" _gasped all the _Trinities._

"_Holy Saviors?!" _gasped all the _Vixens._

"_This faction mainly comprised of Crusaders and Priests are devoted to the Allfather Odin, who watches over Rune-Midgarts! However, information on their leader is unknown as they were not present at the site of battle that evening. We will keep you updated as we continue our investigation on this new team. Glaris, back to you!"_

"So we know what the _Holy Saviors _are, but their leader wasn't there, so we don't really know what we're up against," deducted Lee. "What do you think we should do?"

"There is not much else left to do until we find out where the next installation will be," answered the Wizard. "I just hope that it's in someplace temperate."

"_Thank you, Nora. As always, a top-notch report delivered by the Kafra Corporation's finest! In other news, the next installation for the Emperium Frontier has finally revealed itself."_

"Hey, shut up! They're about to announce the next Emperium place!" shouted Elua, calming down the other sisters who were all abuzz about the _Holy Saviors_.

"_After triangulating the coordinates, we have discovered the latest installation to be located in… Payon! Deep within its forests, far to the Southwest, the Emperium Jungle emerges from within the labyrinth of vines. We understand that this maze will be full of tricky monsters as well as sightings of giant footprints, which must mean that a big, bad monster is waiting within! Those who succeed will take home the Emerald Emperium!"_

"You heard Glaris, ladies!" said Lupi, standing up as she grasped her lance. "The Emperium Jungle has opened! We _will _get back at those loser _Trinities _this time!"

"Yeah! Nothing will stop us! We're with you sister!" cheered Elua. Back at the Fortress…

"What do you think those footprints she mentioned might be?" questioned Ray.

"I'm not sure, but we will have to begin preparations as soon as possible," Thiji answered. Just then, their discussion was interrupted yet again by the broadcast…

"_Wait… I'm getting something. This just in, everyone: apparently the Forest City of Payon is undergoing strange activity. Because of this, teleportation lines have been temporarily cut off until this disturbance has been systematically dealt with. Participants will have to take an alternate route through Morroc and traverse the Sograt Desert east until they reach the Payon Forest."_

"Dammit… I just had to mention a temperate place," sighed the Wizard. "Now what…"

"We need to get Nora! I'm sure she has the power to take us through whatever's causing trouble in Payon!" the Lightning Ninja suggested.

"We can't do that, brother; it'd be too

risky, plus she is already in the desert. If anything, she could be on her way there to investigate what's happened," Thiji explained. "Our only course of action is to request transport to our secondary base in Pharos and make the trek from there."

"Well, no point standing around… Let's move out, _Trinities!" _spoke Ray, getting out of his seat and turning off the television.

"How are we going to get to Payon?" asked Heal-Do. "We can't traverse the Sograt Desert; _White Trinity _will be meeting us there for sure!"

"Fool! We have the advantage! We will travel there by sea; we take a ferry to Alberta and head west from there. We'll knock some time off the journey _and _beat _White Trinity _to the Jungle!" Lupi spoke. "Now come on, daylight's burning!"

"Wow, Lupi, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were beginning to actually use your head a lot more than your lance arm," commented Aege, taking her axe in hand. Meanwhile, _White Trinity _gathers plenty of provisions (namely drinks) and receives a teleport straight to Beacon Island, where their secondary base is located.

As they are greeted by the Guardians, a Kafra Employee sporting blond pigtails and brown eyes rushes toward the four…

Curly Sue: (panting) _White Trinity! _Oh, thank goodness I've found you guys!

Thiji: Another Kafra employee.

Curly Sue: I'm… I'm Curly Sue. But you can just call me "Sue".

Raien: Hey, Sue.

Lee: What is it, Sue?

Curly Sue: Miss Nora was doing a report in the middle of the Sograt Desert, but after she had finished, there was some sort of disturbance in the air, and our transmission was cut off!

Ray: Wait a moment, we just _got _here after seeing that report! We were told to by Nora to watch this morning's news bulletin!

Thiji: Are you implicitly saying that Kafra Nora is out there right now, investigating the cause of this?

Curly Sue: Who do you think was with her giving the report?

Ray: This sounds bad. We should help her!

Thiji: Contrary to popular belief, she is capable of handling herself. But if we do happen to find her, we will aid in the investigation. Right now getting to Payon is our primary objective, and the _Battle Vixens _are probably already on their way there as we speak.

Lee: This is probably moot, but is there any way at all that you can teleport us there?

Curly Sue: Nope. Whatever's causing the disturbance has affected our ability to teleport anyone to the Forest City.

Ray: What if we had a ticket?

Curly Sue: Still no good; that ticket only waives the teleporting fee.

Raien: Well, boys, I hate to say it, but we're gonna have to hoof it through this desert…

Lee: Thank goodness we stocked up on plenty of beverages.

Thiji: Miss Sue, can you point us in the direction where you last saw Nora?

Curly Sue: East, past the Sandarman Fortress, then northeast from there toward the border where the desert meets the forest.

Ray: You're coming with us, right?

Curly Sue: I would, but I was charged with watching the Pyramid while the others try to find the source of this disturbance!

Thiji: Then we have our bearings: we cut a path through the Sandarman Fortress, then we proceed northeast until we see the forest.

Raien: Right!

_White Trinity _began their trek as they exited Beacon Island and bypassing the Sandarman Fortress with great efficiency. Utilizing his Acolyte skills, Lee aided the group with his Agility Up spell, giving the four a much-needed speed boost as they zoomed through the dangers that lurked within the Fortress. Before they knew it, they were at the Sograt Desert yet again, and now it was finally time to head northeastward.

Taking great care in rationing their drinks, they had made it through a good chunk of the ocean of sand before noon, and morale was kept high through a nice little talk to pass the time…

Ray: So, Thiji, how exactly did you pull off that one spell from before?

Thiji: What spell?

Ray: You know, the one where you conjured a huge-ass ice storm on Lupi and Aege.

The Wizard flashed back to that moment in time…

"_Behold… the Frost Tempest…!"_

Thiji: Oh… that one. It's a spell I sort of improvised on.

Lee: I wish I could have seen it. It must have been pretty cool! No pun intended.

Raien: Oh, don't worry. This guy's got a lot more tricks up his sleeve, and as a matter of fact, I do, too.

Ray: Save it for the next fight, then! Whatever we have in store we can use Thiji's brain for strategies!

The four laughed heartily as their march continued. Meanwhile, the _Battle Vixens _had just crossed the sea and would soon be upon Alberta…

Lupi: All right, sisters. Listen up: we're heading straight west out of the city, and then we head north to Payon! We'll get to the Jungle before those _Trinities, _and finally prove our might is still right!

Aege: Well said, sister! We're kicking their asses this time!

Elua: Try to save the Ninja for me, would you? I think he's kind of cute!

Lupi: No fraternizing with the enemy!

Aege: Whoa, Lupi, you're using big words now?

Lupi: The hell are you talking about?

Elua: Well, you used to be as monosyllabic as humanly possible, but now you're actually showing off some eloquence!

Lupi: Hey, stop co-signing! I'm not stupid!

Elua: Baby sister, are you all right? You haven't spoken a word since we left Amatsu.

Heal-Do: Sorry… I'm just… a little uneasy.

Aege: She's always like that before a battle, Elua. Don't worry; when we begin the fight, she'll show off her colors. It's in her blood, after all.

Lupi: Anyway… we're almost there. Once we make port, we're heading straight out of Alberta while there's still daylight!

Within the Forest City of Payon, dark clouds began to fill the sky above. The citizens just assumed that it would rain soon, and retreated to their homes. Tsubaki had arrived, and the next phase of her plan would soon begin.

"And now to put this operation in motion. This diversionary tactic should give the _Holy Saviors _the advantage they need to conquer the Emperium Jungle…" she chuckled, gazing at the dark-infused obsidian fragments in her palm. Just then, two silhouetted female figures appeared before Tsubaki, their arms tucked into their sleeves… "Oh, good. You two have arrived, as I had hoped. _White Trinity _will soon cross the desert. I want you both to stall them at the border for as long as possible. Understand?"

"Yes, Lady Tsubaki…" acknowledged the two figures as they bowed their heads and stormed out of the city to meet their quarry.

After another half-hour of travel, the _White Trinity _party had ventured deep within the desert at this point. They had begun following a group of earthworms called Hodes for a short while until they arrived at a flat expanse with the ocean lying to the south, and in the center of the area were what looked like ruins of an ancient pyramid. As the Hodes broke formation, new creatures arrived: small, living mounds of sand with ghostly faces began to surround them.

Ray: Damn! Sandmen!

Lee: They say that they are the spirits of men who died out here in the Sograt Desert.

Raien: That can't be right…

Lee: It isn't. Apparently they're really just a type of fairy…

Thiji: And they don't seem to like people very much.

The four stood back-to-back- as they prepared to fight off the Sandmen, but they paused for a moment and looked eastward, storming off in that direction.

Raien: What, are they scared of us too?

Lee: They _shouldn't_ be. Sandmen are naturally hostile.

Thiji: Like the Hodes, perhaps they are leading us somewhere as well.

Just then, the Sandmen vanished!

Ray: Whoa!

Raien: The hell -?

Lee: That almost looked like…

Thiji: A teleportation spell. The magical effect looked similar. If they would do this so suddenly, then something big must be going on nearby.

The quartet hasted their march through the desert. Moments later, they would hear sounds of battle mixed with some martial arts yells.

Raien: Bro, do you hear that?

Thiji: I do now…

Lee: A Taekwon fighter, perhaps?

Ray: We won't know until we get there! Let's move it!

Raien, Lee, & Thiji: Right!

Their running continued until they were within clear view of the ruins. In the distance was someone grappling with a bunch of Sandmen, and it seemed that the person in question was winning. As they approached, the person was now within plain sight: it was Nora battling the minions of some large, pinkish monster with large teeth, four eyes, and weird-looking green "hair".

_White Trinity:_ Nora!

Nora: Ki-ya! Sorya!

Ray: Let's give her some help!

Thiji began to charge an ice spell as Ray, Lee, and Raien charged in. Ray, wasting no time, flipped a coin, and absorbed a spirit sphere into his gun to fire Magic Bullets at the monster to shake its hold on the Sandmen, giving Nora some breathing room. Raien flanked them with lightning-imbued kunais which he had aimed at the freakish brute, but the Hodes from before appeared to shield it from the barrage, destroying themselves in the process.

"**Cold Bolt of Ice!" **cried Thiji as he pelted them with ice shards, scattering the minions. **"Frost Diver!" **he cried again, keeping up the assault with a blast of frost in an attempt to freeze the brute, but it failed! The beast was enraged, and powered itself up before focusing on Thiji. He attempted another Frost Diver, which was a direct hit to the face, but the freeze attempt still failed. "What?! Why won't it freeze…?"

"Ya can't freeze it, Thiji! It's an MVP!" Nora alerted, chasing it down before tripping it with a swift low kick. Ray continued shooting at it with bullets as Lee delivered a powerful combo of blows to its head. The creature rose back up to its feet, flinging Lee and Nora as it did, but they recovered and landed on their feet. With a roar, it summoned its horde of minions yet again, and Raien saw his opportunity to attack. Summoning a Huuma Shuriken, he imbued it with lightning energy and flung it at the creature's gaping maw, causing it to forcibly swallow the electrified star. After a brief moment, it burst into numerous chunks, and the minions that followed it disintegrated into nothingness…

Ray: Good shit, Raien!

Raien: Hey, it was nothing. But… What the hell was that? And why is there a large bubble that says "MVP!" above Nora's head?

Nora, dusting off her apron: There are monsters like the one we just fought that are more powerful than just your regular beasties. They are usually seen with lesser minions to support their already powerful abilities. We've begun callin' 'em "MVPs" because they're sorta like boss monsters that no adventurer – green or not – can handle alone.

Thiji: Glad we came when we did. And now you have a shiny diamond to your name.

Nora: I appreciate it, guys! Thanks! Headquarters will like it!

Lee: What was that creature we just battled?

Nora: That particular MVP is called "Phreeoni." No one knows why the hell it's here, where it came from, or what it even is! But we do know that every so often one emerges within the Sograt Desert.

Thiji: It seems like a lot of things happen in this huge sea of sand…

Ray: So, this… Phreeoni was the cause of the disturbance?

Nora: Heck, no! By the looks o' that thing, it wasn't even close to bein' the source!

Thiji: We assumed you were out investigating; Kafra Curly Sue informed us that you were.

Nora: Oh, Sue! I see. Yeah, I was, but then this thing appeared while I was headin' to the forest. It's not too far from where we are; we just have to cross a bridge connecting the border between the desert and the Payon Forest.

The teal Kafra led them northeast as she explained to them about what had actually happened during her investigation. Apparently Nora learned that there is some sort of energy signature that is interfering with the teleportation lines to Payon, barring anyone's entry. Even with her powers, she was unable to breach it, and came to this conclusion.

After her explanation was finished, they had finally reached the end of the desert; a large river split the land in two with the Sograt Desert to the west, and the Payon Forest to the east. Nora pointed the way for them before turning back and walking the other way.

Lee: Hey! Wait! You're not going to continue your investigation?

Nora: I pretty much learned all that I have to about this! And with you four here, I'll know for sure. Just cross that bridge over there and Payon is a short distance away!

Ray: Thanks, Nora.

She waved farewell to them before teleporting away. With the path lying before them, _White Trinity _continued down the road, relieved that they have survived the scorching heat of the desert.

It seemed that at this point, nothing would stand in their way, until they noticed a "gate" of large sticks on both ends of the bridge. They were linked together from the top with string, and dangling from them were holy sutras. Looking back in front of them, on the other end of the bridge they saw two girls in kimonos– one's robes was red, and her hair was short and dark red, stopping at her neck, with a small tiara on the crown of her head. The other had much longer, dark blue hair with bangs stopping past her shoulders, sporting blue robes. They shared the same gray eyes, but their eye shadow was red and blue, respectively.

"Halt!" shouted the red girl. "We will not let you pass!"

"Surrender, or suffer the might of the priestess duo of my sister, Botan, and I, Momiji!" said the blue girl. The two of them made a heroic pose as the sounds of taiko drums resounded in the air. They stretched out their arms and hands, implying the order to stop.

Lee: Um…

Ray: Let me get this straight… the red one is Momiji… the… blue one is Botan?

Raien: Damn, they look _fine…!_

Thiji: …

Momiji, whispering: We got them scared stiff, sister! It's working like a charm!

Botan, whispering: This is definitely going to be much easier than we thought! Let's keep it up a bit longer!

Ray: They… sent Acolytes to stop us?

Momiji: Watch your tongue! We are not Acolytes!

Botan: We are certified Priestesses! Get it right!

Lee: Impossible! Where are your robes?!

Momiji: We're a different kind of Priestess, but we still serve the Church of Odin!

Botan: Praise be to His glory, He who has made our land of Rune-Midgarts rich and pure!

Ray: They're sure as hell not Priestess material! They look no older than us!

Thiji: They're Mikos, shrine maidens.

Lee: That's… interesting. Then again, that explains the sutras.

Thiji: *sigh* Raien will take care of you.

Raien: Wait, why me? What the hell am I supposed to do?

Thiji: I don't know, use that perverted little world of yours you call an imagination.

Botan: Judging by the clothes you wear, we can tell that _you… _*pointing to Thiji* Are a Wizard. _You… _*Points to Raien* are a Ninja. _You…_ *points to Ray* are a… Gunslinger-Knight?

Ray: Guilty as charged.

Botan, pointing to Lee: And you! You are a Monk! Brother, come and join our crusade! We serve the same God!

Momiji: Together we will defeat _White Trinity_ with our holy will!

Lee: She's right. The Saint Capitolina Abbey is under the same jurisdiction as the Prontera Sanctuary; they both practice Odinism. However, I'm afraid I can't do that. My allegiance is with these guys, with _White Trinity._

Botan: Very well… Prepare yourself – huh? Wait, where are you going?

Thiji turned back and walked a short distance away from everyone. He seemed to have been bored as he took out a tome and began reading.

Thiji: They'll make _anyone _a Priestess these days…

Botan: What was that?!

Momiji: How dare you?!

Botan & Momiji: GET HIM! In the name of Odin!

Charging down the bridge, the two (Acolytes, Priestesses, Mikos, take your pick) rose their staves in the air to attack Thiji, but the Ninja swoops in and knocks them back toward the opposite end.

"Sorry, but he said that _I'm _your opponent, so you'll just have to deal with me!" Raien chided.

"Very well!" replied Botan. "You shall be defeated first, and then the Wizard! Ready, Momiji?"

"Ready, Botan!" spoke the blue Acolyte. They brought their hands together and conjured a ball of holy energy from their palms.

"**Holy Light!" **they both yelled, sending a small blast of holy energy to attack the Ninja. It connects, and then explodes in a flash of light, temporarily blinding Raien.

"You're seriously not letting them beat you…" Thiji scoffed.

"Don't worry," Raien said back, recovering from the stun. "That's the only hit they'll get off of me!"

"These girls… they don't seem weak at all…" pondered Lee.

"Geez, that thing is bright as hell!" Ray exclaimed, shielding his eyes from the flash. After the flash subsided, Raien looked before him and saw that one of the Acolytes was missing! He then turned his gaze skyward and saw that Momiji had used the confusion of the blast to attack Thiji from above!

Without moving his head, Thiji grabbed his Aqua Staff and slammed it on the ground before saying, **"Frost Nova" **in a monotone. The counter pushed Momiji away and knocked her on her bottom and next to Botan.

Botan: Sister, are you all right?!

Momiji: Yeah… That Wizard is fast. But we cannot let them harm Lady Tsubaki or the _Holy Saviors!_

Lee: Wait, did they just say –

Raien, grabbing a handful of kunai knives: Time to dance, ladies!

Momiji: Sister, be careful!

The Ninja threw a flurry lightning-infused kunai knives at the feet of the two girls. Jumping around in fright, they held each other as they screamed helplessly.

"_This is kind of hot,"_ Raien thought as he continued his attack. Thiji simply sighed and continued reading his tome, while Ray and Lee found a comfortable seat in the sand and enjoyed the show.

"W-We have to do something!" whimpered Momiji.

"Follow my lead, Momiji!" Botan ordered, jumping out of the way. In a retaliatory effort, Botan & Momiji took their staves and aimed at Raien, firing a beam of holy energy from its tip. This concentrated Holy Light would be dodged by Raien as he shifted his body to the left, watching the beam fly off toward a nearby rock. "Now!" Taking out a sutra, the two Priestess-in-training folded them and then crushed it in their hands, blowing the remains into the air as it releases holy energy.

After a moment of silence, everyone looked around, wondering what exactly they were doing. The Wizard attempted to flip another page in his book, but his arm was unable to move – in fact, his entire _body _wasn't responding!

"What in the -?" said Thiji. After thinking for a moment, he knew just what had happened. "Paralysis…!"

"Paralysis?! You mean we can't move?!" the Gun-Knight shouted, trying to get up from his seated position to no avail.

"No good… I can't move either!" Raien spoke, trying to move his own hand. As they saw _White Trinity _helpless before them, the two sisters giggled in joy, clapping their hands together and prancing around.

Botan: I'd say we've outdone ourselves!

Momiji: Yeah, I think so, too!

Lee: Dammit… They have us bound, and we can't get up…

The Monk suddenly finds himself on his feet as he stands up without any difficulty whatsoever.

Lee: … Except me.

Ray: Oh, right! Holy energy… Your chi force is holy! You can totally defeat those two and lift this paralysis!

Without hesitation, Lee called forth the spirit energy from around him and five Spirit Spheres danced around him. Pointing toward the sticks supporting the sutras, he used his Finger Offensive to break them in half, causing the entire "barrier" to fall before the two girls. They crouched and covered their heads as _White Trinity _was able to move once more!

Thiji: Well done, Lee.

Ray: Yeah, nice work!

Lee: It was nothing. You got this from here, Raien?

Raien: Yeah, I'm going in.

Raien advances down the bridge to the other side where the two Acolytes were, now feeling the cool grass of the forest beneath his feet. The two immediately stood up and grabbed their weapons.

Botan: Quickly, sister! We must attack head-on!

Momiji: Right!

They surround the Ninja and would begin to charge, their weapons held high in the air as they did. With a simple turn of his heel, Raien avoided their attack wholly and they would instead hit each other on accident.

Botan: OW!

Momiji: What insolence…! That won't happen again!

They try same tactic again and Raien easily sidesteps it, causing them to attack each other again on accident.

Raien: You know, I've always enjoyed seeing a catfight. I didn't think you two would be the ones causing it to each other, though.

Botan: Why, you little…!

Momiji: You will pay for tricking us a second time! Feel our divine might!

Putting their all into this next attack, the two Priestesses-in-training fired another blast of Holy Light at Raien, who jumps out of the way to avoid it, miraculously preventing the two of them from hitting each other. Instead, they struck the Wizard, and his hat, along with the tome that he was reading, are flung from off his person.

Ray: Oh, snap…

Lee: They hit Thiji instead? Whoa!

Thiji: …

Pausing for a moment, he got up from his seat with his Aqua Staff in hand. The Wizard gave them a soft chuckle before he called upon the powers of ice, a gale of snow blowing around him.

Botan: Uh-oh… Did we just make him angry?

Raien: Be honored. He's only doing this because he acknowledges you two as adversaries.

Thiji, echoing: What in the hell are you talking about?! They shot my tome _and _my hat off! I'm merely returning the favor!

Momiji: Sister, watch out!

The storm gathering around Thiji had reached its peak, and he would then point his staff toward the Acolytes.

"**Storm… Gust!" **cried the Wizard, directing the blizzard of ice and snow down the bridge, uprooting the fortifications and sweeping Botan & Momiji off their feet and blasting them down past the bridge, and into the forest.

"WAAAAAAHHH!" shrieked the Priestesses-in-training as they were helplessly being thrashed about by the storm. After languishing within the frozen furor for a good, long, minute, they found themselves frozen in blocks of ice before they vanished into the Payon Forest on the other side.

Thiji: *scoffs* Imbeciles…

Lee: Gee, don't you think that was a little bit much?

Thiji: It may have been, but they were wasting too much of our time; they had to leave by force. Plus, they knocked off my hat and my tome.

Ray: No point mulling over it! We did what had to be done. Let's continue past this checkpoint and get to Payon, and then we'll make for the Jungle!

Raien: Let's get to it, then! You can read when we make it to the city, Thiji. All we need to do now is get to the city!

Thiji: Yes, the _Battle Vixens_ could almost be there for all we know.

Ray: Come on, dammit!

Their march continued as they crossed the bridge and finally entered the Payon Forest from the west. From the east, the _Battle Vixens _were a stone's throw away from the Forest City. Mukuhawk flew to Elua's side, landing on her arm…

Elua: Thanks, boy! Mukuhawk says that Payon is right through this clearing! We're almost there!

Lupi: Yes! We made it to Payon before them!

Aege: Not bad planning, sister. You should use that head of yours more often.

Lupi: Well, it was rather smart, if I do say so – hey, what is that supposed to mean?!

Heal-Do: Oh, you two… always fighting. Is it because you two are the oldest? Or maybe it's their element, who knows?

Elua: Ahh, Payon… A beautiful, tranquil town surrounded by mountains. Very few invaders appear because of its architecture, you know!

Aege: Hey, Elua, didn't you use to train here when you were an Archer?

Elua: Of course! I was the top of my class, and the Archer Association was very proud to have me amongst their ranks!

Lupi: That's all well and good, but we don't have time to go to the village and swap stories!

Elua: Aww, we don't?

Heal-Do giggled to herself as they continued their run to the Forest City. In mere moments, they found themselves before the gates that lead into the city. The four sisters took a minute to catch their breath before they approached the entrance. However, Heal-Do stopped for a moment, sensing that something was wrong…

Aege: Wow, we actually _did _beat _White Trinity _here!

Lupi: I told you! You got all excited for nothing.

Heal-Do: Doesn't something seem a little off here?

Aege: What do you mean?

Elua: Baby sister's right, there's no guards around! Mukuhawk, did you see any when you scouting ahead?

The falcon shakes his head.

Elua: Now that you mention it, I _do _remember them mentioning something about there being strange activity going on inside the city…

Lupi: Probably just some stupid undead charging out of the Payon Caves again. That's why that village is there, right?

Elua: Yes, but… That threat's been suppressed a long time ago.

Aege: She has a good point. Elua and Mukuhawk here were practically heroes during that time.

Elua: Yeah… And back then I was only an Archer still… and that was where Mukuhawk and I formed a bond through that battle…

The Huntress had begun to daydream on the day of the massive undead invasion, and when she first fought beside Mukuhawk as an Archer, who was then a wild falcon. She would go on about how her and her allies were cornered by skeletons, zombies, and other undead minions, but with the wind at her back, she was able to shoot a path to freedom for her and the Archer Association.

Heal-Do: I wonder if your fellow Hunters are still at the village.

Elua: No, they moved someplace else after the invasion was quelled. Now it's just Archers and Archer mercenaries protecting the main town.

Aege: Well, I don't really see anything out of the ordinary here. The guards are probably on break.

Heal-Do: Yes… Payon is very tranquil now, but then again, it usually is.

Lupi: In that case, let's get a move on _before _some trap is sprung if you're so unsure!

With the hot-headed Knight taking point, the gates opened, revealing the city to the sisters. It was tranquil, as the Assassin had previously mentioned, and a sense of uneasiness swept over her. Elua gave her pet falcon a reassuring pat on the head while Aege kept a calm demeanor, trying not to mind the silence.

After entering the central part of the city, they would begin to hear an ethereal voice echoing in the air, incanting in an entirely different dialect…

"_O princeps tenebrarum, da mihi virtutem. Largire mihi, et incarcerare rogitas qui te contemnunt. Fiat voluntas tua in facie infideles! Ecce cornu fac tenebris!"_

At the end of the incantation, the sound of thunder is heard, and a bolt of dark lightning shoots down from the heavens. A purplish/black barrier began to form from the point at which the lightning struck. It grew larger in size until it covered the entire city of Payon, barring passage into the city. Outside of the barrier was the shady Priestess, Tsubaki, watching the helpless _Battle Vixens _from the outside…

"I must say, I was hoping to capture _White Trinity _inside of this, but I will settle for the next best thing – you four. A shame you ladies did not make an effort to be more vigilant; this scheme seemed too easy to make!" she chuckled.

"How did we fall for that…?" Elua groaned. Aege attempted to hack away at the barrier, but it was no good; her blows were being deflected.

"Dammit… it _was _a trap!" Lupi grunted. "Wait… Isn't that the Priestess you mentioned, Heal-Do? Tsubaki, was it?"

"Yes. There is no doubt in my mind that it is her," the Assassin answered. She scanned the barrier for some sort of weakness or clue as to disable it. With some effort, Heal-Do spotted some dark crystal fragments at the point of which the barrier formed; in the center. _"That must be what's powering the barrier! Darn… it's powering it from the outside. We won't be able to get to it from here!"_

"I will be taking my leave now. So don't get too comfortable, all right? Ta-ta!" the Priestess said before turning on her heel and walking away. Lupi began banging on the barrier, trying eagerly to rip her way through. Tsubaki had begun to make her way out of the southern gate of the city. Her walk would go uninterrupted for some time until two ice blocks would fall upon her head and shatter. From the shattered ice revealed Botan & Momiji, horribly dazed from their romp through the forest…

Tsubaki, straining: What… what is the meaning of this, you two?! Get off of me right this moment!

She would push the twins off of her with some effort before standing back on her feet, dusting off her robes.

Botan: W-We're sorry! Forgive us, Lady Tsubaki!

Momiji: We did our best to ward off _White Trinity, _but before we knew it… we were swept away at the blink of an eye!

Tsubaki, thinking: _Those boys are stronger than I had originally anticipated… If left unchecked, they could probably destroy that barrier and overtake us on the way to the Jungle… _(Aloud) Botan! Momiji!

Botan & Momiji: Yes, Lady Tsubaki!

Tsubaki: Southwest of here is where the Emperium Jungle is located. I want you both to make your way there and seize that stone before they get a chance to retaliate! I will deal with those fools myself.

They salute the Priestess and rush southwest before picking up their weapons. Meanwhile, _White Trinity _had arrived in the forest when Thiji noticed the skies becoming dark…

Thiji: Everyone, look to the sky!

Ray: What?! The clouds, they're darkening!

Lee: Maybe it's a thunderstorm, Raien?

Raien: No, Lee. This isn't naturally occurring. Something must be going on up ahead.

Thiji: It must have been the "strange activity" that the Kafra mentioned this morning. Payon is undoubtedly close.

Ray: In that case, fall in! I'll take point! Raien, get my six!

Raien: Mm!

They followed close behind the Gun-Knight as _White Trinity _sped through the rest of the forest. Within minutes, they found themselves in the outskirts of the Forest City of Payon. However, Thiji and Lee slowed to a stop whilst Ray and Raien continued approaching the city at full speed.

Tsubaki, thinking: _They are right on cue… Perfect._

Thiji: Holy -!

Lee: No way…

Ray: What's the matter?

Raien: Yeah, what's –

Ray & Raien: OOF!

In their rush, the Gun-Knight and the Ninja charged face-first into what appeared to be a giant barrier powered by shadow energy. The resulting impact forced them back, but their fall was broken by Thiji and Lee, who caught them and put the two back on their feet.

Ray: Whoa… thanks for catching us.

Thiji: Don't mention it.

Raien: What in the hell did we hit?!

Thiji: A barrier.

Ray: A barrier?

Thiji: Designed to bar people from entering the city, no doubt. And I believe that its conjurer is on the other end of it.

He points to Tsubaki, whom was smirking back at _White Trinity, _but then Lupi would bang her fist against the barrier, startling the four.

Lupi: Oh, you've got to be kidding me… _You _guys are here already?!

Heal-Do: Thiji, take care! This barrier… it's powered by malignant energy!

Thiji: I would expect three of you to fall for a trap like this, but Heal-Do? How did _you_ get caught?

Aege: Lupi didn't listen to her…

Lupi: SHUT UP! Whose side are you on?! We didn't even know it was a trap until the very last minute anyway!

The Gun-Knight and Raien would burst in uproarious laughter, much to Lupi's chagrin.

Lupi, banging on the barrier: Enough with the laughing! Stop it! I'm warning you!

The Huntress plops down on her bottom and leans on her knees. Aege does the same and drops to one knee.

Elua: We don't have any other choice… We gotta let them save us.

Lupi, shrieking: WHAT?! NO WAY, I REFUSE!

Aege: Swallow your pride for once, big sister. There's no overpowering this thing from the inside.

With an angry growl, the female Knight drove her lance into the ground and turned her back on _White Trinity, _facing Tsubaki instead.

Thiji: … Can anyone here detect any dark energy sources?

Lee: I can. Leave it to me!

The Monk puts his palm on the earth and concentrates. Closing his eyes, he now focused on the perimeter of the barrier, seeking out the source of the darkness. It did not take long for him to pick up the source which were a bunch of obsidian fragments infused with shadow energy.

Lee: There! At the top of the barrier! There are dark crystal fragments powering it!

Ray: Good work, Lee!

Thiji: Now all that is left is to purify this corruption, and our path will be clear.

Tsubaki: As if I would let you do so unchecked! Shikigami, to me!

An albino serpent rises from the ground, wrapping itself around Tsubaki's right arm.

Raien: Did she say "Shinigami"?!

Thiji: No, _"Shikigami"._ They're a type of puppet minion that shrine maidens are known for using.

Raien: Whatever. Leave that thing to me. There's a new attack I've been meaning to try out.

Thiji: Very well.

Raien: You're not going to help me?

Thiji: I'm still a little exhausted from our run-in with those twins. But don't worry, I'll back you up if she does anything sneaky.

Ray: I could probably take out the source, but I'll need some extra punch to do so. Lee, think you can help?

Lee: Of course! I just need to gather enough divine energy to dispel this thing…

The Ninja takes out a simple katana and applies chakra onto it as Lee began to call forth spiritual energy. The _Battle Vixens _simply sit tight, waiting for their unlikely saviors to do their work. The serpent is ordered to strike as Thiji prepares a spell…

Thiji: I've an idea…

Tsubak: Don't get hasty, fool! Hyah!

Using her dark powers, Tsubaki sends a wave of shadows emerging from the barrier to attack Thiji. As it reaches the other end, it opens up to make way for the spell, and just as it did, Thiji threw a Frost Diver onto it, freezing the spell itself.

Tsubaki: How did he -?!

Lee: Almost done… Just need a bit more time…

Thiji: Hm? Oh, that is even better!

After focusing as much chakra as he possibly could, Raien took out a wind stone and laid it upon the blade. The Shikigami switches targets and attempts to lunge at Lee, but Ray quickly warded it off with a Cracker shot, stunning it as it fell on the ground, helpless.

The chakra absorbed the energy from the stone, enhancing it with lightning; sparks began to dance up and down the katana. Thiji rose a hand up, keeping an eye on Raien as he aimed his blade at the wave.

Thiji: Now, brother!

Raien: Take this! **Lightning Crash!**

The Wizard made a crushing gesture with his hand, shattering the frozen wave of darkness, and with impeccable timing, the Ninja thrust his katana forward, sending all of the expended chakra outward into the form of a large lightning bolt through the closing gap of the barrier. As it was aimed for Tsubaki, she gasped and tried her best to dodge (The barrier had a gap opened at opposite ends due to the shadow wave). Unfortunately, she did not completely avoid the attack, and a small jolt slice off an almost unnoticeably small chunk of her hair.

Tsubaki, thinking: _What an unusual technique… That was too close to call._

Thiji: Fine work, brother.

Raien: Oh, shit…

Thiji: What's the matter –? Oh…

They both notice that the lightning that didn't pass through the gap was still inside of the barrier, causing it to ricochet back toward the Ninja. However, due to the barrier being closed once again, the blast begins ricocheting off of every corner, splitting up into numerous bolts of lightning being shot off at incredible speeds. Mukuhawk was shocked by a couple and fell on Elua's head.

Lupi: OH, NICE JOB, ASSHOLES!

Aege: Oh, not good…! Not good, not good, not good!

Heal-Do & Elua: (Screaming)

Tsubaki: *Grunts* Impudent wretches…

Lee: Okay, I'm ready! **Spiritual Endowment!**

The Monk transfers all five of his Spirit Spheres to Ray, applying the holy element to his blade. The Gun-Knight leapt into the air with his sword held high and cried, **"Magnum… Break!" **as he drove his blade through the barrier with his divine flames.

Raien: Dammit, he shouldn't have done that!

Thiji: This is going to be a long day…

The crystal fragments begin to crack until ultimately shattering, disintegrating into nothingness. As the barrier began to weaken, Tsubaki gave out a shuddering gasp while the _Battle Vixens _began to scream even louder.

"What the hell are you all screaming about?! We just saved your pampered butts!" scolded the Gun-Knight.

"You idiot! Open your eyes!" Tsubaki replied.

"What…? Oh, hell…" Ray whispered, looking at the nearly-dispersed barrier. As soon as it vanished, the lightning bolts ricocheted off the ground, walls, ceilings of houses, etc. and shot upwards toward the sky.

Lupi: Great… Now what?!

Tsubaki: Where did those bolts go…?

Thiji: Raien, can't you do something about this?

Raien: Well, there's good news, and there is bad news.

Lee: What's the good news?

Raien: Oh, that's easy; the bolts are gone.

Ray, landing on his feet: And the bad news?

Raien: The bad news is…

Tsubaki then notices a glint through the clouds above. _"Could that sparkle be from those blades…?" _she thought to herself. After that single glint, countless others began to dot the clouds, followed by a clash of thunder.

Tsubaki, quivering: Oh, my…

Raien: … I can't control it when it comes back down.

Thiji: What?!

In an instant, the bolts crash down upon the earth in a raging lightning storm, bombarding the city in a relentless fashion.

Tsubaki: Oh, my goodness…!

Elua, shaking: HO-O-O-O-O-OLY CRAP!

Lupi, shielding herself with her lance: BEST SAVIORS EVER! GODDAMN NEOPHYTES!

Heal-Do: Waah!

The Water Elf scrambles to the Wizard, who then clings to him for safety.

Thiji: Nothing personal, but I'm going to need you to get off of me right this moment.

Heal-Do: Nuh-uh! No way! I am not going to die here, not while the sky is falling!

Thiji: Oh, for goodness sake…

The impact wrought from the lightning storm is comparable to the power of a category 5 earthquake. Because of this, everyone would begin to lose balance and eventually fall prone on the ground. Though they would attempt to regain their balance, it would be difficult to do so due to the strength of the storm.

In desperation, Tsubaki simply crawled her way out of the city until she was able to regain her balance with little trouble. She makes her way south and then west in an effort to reunite with her allies. The _Battle Vixens _follow suit, avoiding the lightning bolts as they did, and headed straight south. With _White Trinity _last, they had to wait until the storm died down a little before making their escape. Lee, with quick thinking, used his Steel Body technique to shrug off any lightning bolts that struck him, and grabbed onto the collars of his comrades' clothing, dragging them away from the city.

Now once again within the Payon Forest, they take a short breather and look back at the much calmer lightning storm…

Thiji: You might want to work on that technique of yours.

Raien: No kidding… That was a backfire.

Ray: At least it's worn off now.

Raien: And the city is intact, too. Thanks for carrying us out, Lee.

Lee: No problem. But what do we do now? The _Battle Vixens _are long gone, and those _Holy Saviors _are on the move as well!

Ray: What's the plan, Thiji?

The Wizard stepped forward, scanning the entirety of the forest from the very floor to the emergent layer. He then remembered noticing that the _Battle Vixens _and _Holy Saviors _went south and southwest, respectively. He then had this plan all worked out…

Ray: Now's a good time to put that mind of yours to use.

Thiji: "The expert approaches his objective indirectly. By selection of a devious and distant route he may march a thousand _li _without opposition and take his enemy unaware."

Raien: Were you reading a fortune cookie just now?

Thiji: No. It's our plan, as Ray asked.

Lee: I… don't follow you.

Thiji: The forest is densest in this area. Taking the eastern and then marching around is our best idea.

Ray: But the Emperium Jungle is to the _southwest _of here!

Thiji: I am aware of that, Ray, but taking the indirect approach ensures that we can march without fear of encountering the other guilds unless absolutely necessary.

Raien: So you want us to split up?

Thiji: Precisely. You and Lee will take the eastern path and make your way south, and then west. If they are not there, it should be a straight shot to the Jungle.

Lee: Got it!

Thiji: With speed on your side, you'll get there much faster while Ray and I continue south toward the _Battle Vixens._

Raien: Understood.

Ray: I have no problems following the _Battle Vixens, _but how exactly do you expect us to get through undetected?

Thiji: We will make it seem as though we are far away when we are actually near, "Moving as intangibly as a ghost in the starlight; obscure, inaudible."

Lee: That's pretty poetic. But there's still one other thing: that falcon of Elua's. Wouldn't it see you if she takes it to the skies?

Thiji: That is where you will come in. The _Battle Vixens _are unaware that we went south as well. Since the eastern Payon Forest is much clearer, the Huntress will most likely send her falcon to scout there.

Raien: So, we're to act as bait…

Lee: And if we're spotted, then what?

Thiji: They will engage. I am sure of it. You two will have to find a way to withdraw and rendezvous with us before we make it to the Emperium Jungle.

Ray: Oh, a fakeout! Nice! Yeah, this'll definitely work!

Thiji: With the dangerous creatures hiding in the forest, it will mask our movement much easier. The _Holy Saviors _can wait; it's the _Battle Vixens _that are the larger threat that we must currently avoid. We are still recovering from that debacle in the city.

The four of them give a nod before Lee casted an Agility Up spell to enhance the mobility of himself and Raien, and they zip down the eastern parts of the forest. Ray takes point and runs south with Thiji close behind.

Meanwhile, in the southwest recesses of the forest, Botan and Momiji were fighting off pinkish trees that were no taller than they.

Botan: Elder Willows… ancient trees which were granted magical powers by crazed fairies.

Momiji: We shall send them back to rest! Sister, I am right behind you!

The Elder Willows began preparing what appeared to be a fire spell. Without hesitation, Momiji struck at one with her stave, interrupting its cast and smashing its trunk. However, the others manage to complete their spell and would blast the two with fire bolts.

Momiji: Sister!

Botan: Waaah!

They struggled to keep on their feet until Tsubaki had successfully lost _White Trinity _and _Battle Vixens_. She met up with the twins and made easy work of the Elder Willows with her magic.

Tsubaki: I see you two had managed to survive on your own. Well done indeed.

Botan & Momiji: Thank you, Lady Tsubaki!

Tsubaki: Onward to the Emperium Jungle!

Botan: But my lady, how will we know what it looks like?

Tsubaki: It should not be hard to miss, but we will find out once we're close…

Meanwhile, the _Battle Vixens _continued south, with Lupi crushing everything that moved in her path in anger.

Aege: Though they're our rivals, we really should thank those boys for what they did.

Lupi, sarcastically: Oh, I'm _very _grateful for what they did! I'll be _happy _to return the favor once I find them!

At their tail was Thiji and Ray, who were following the trail of smoldering Spore remains and ravaged wolf corpses, along with some scorched earth in between.

Ray: That's Lupi, all right. She must be very pissed.

Thiji: Then we are not far away. Let's ease our advance until the signal has been given.

To the east, Lee and Raien had just cleared a large distance of the forest and begin making their way south.

Lee: So we're supposed to wait for that falcon thing to spot us?

Raien: Yeah, then we have to get out before the _Battle Vixens _spot us and meet up with Ray and Thiji.

Lee: How do you propose we do that?

Raien: I have _another _technique I've been waiting to use. This might be the time to use it… hehe.

Back to the west…

Lupi: Where the hell is this place?! Stupid forest…! (Grunting)

Heal-Do: Hey, Elua, I wonder if you could use Mukuhawk to lead the way for us.

Elua: Good idea, baby sister! How are you feeling, Mukuhawk? Ready for a little scouting mission?

Her pet falcon gives an acknowledging caw before nodding its head.

Elua: Excellent! Show us the way to the Emperium Jungle! And if you find any of our enemies, let us know straightaway!

Raising her arm in the air, she released the falcon, and it would fly its way up through the trees. Hearing the bird's screech, Thiji and Ray immediately took cover under a tree to avoid detection as Mukuhawk circled around a few times before heading east.

Ray, whispering: Think it picked up their tail?

Thiji, whispering: We will soon find out. Let's be quiet with our steps.

Ray: Okay. I got point.

Moments later, Raien and Lee covered the entirety of the eastern Payon Forest, and their speed enhancement would begin wearing off. They slowed to a stop and waited for the next phase of Thiji's strategy.

Lee: That run took a lot out of us.

Raien: Not to worry. My Ninpou Training will replenish my chakra faster.

Lee: Good, I can recuperate as well!

The Ninja and the Monk assume the Indian sitting position and speak, **"Ninja Mastery!" **and **"Spiritual Cadence!"** respectively, and a faint blue glow would emanate from their bodies. Due to the calmness of the immediate vicinity, they were able to meditate undisturbed, not having to worry about hostile creatures striking at them whilst they were vulnerable.

The sight of two random adventurers sitting in the middle of a forest clearing attracted a multitude of the indigenous fauna to emerge from out of the trees and flock toward them – Porings, Lunatics, and even Willows gathered around to sit with them.

Lee: Whoa… What did we do?

Raien: I think our meditation just brought them all together for no reason. They look friendly, so we're fine.

However, this sudden shift in monster migration alerted a certain falcon. It followed the trail of creatures until he would see a clearing below them, and upon seeing the cause of the migration, Mukuhawk gave out a loud screech, circling around a few times before flying back west…

Lee: Well, we've been spotted, as Thiji wanted. What the hell was phase two again?

Raien: This.

As they both rose to their feet, Raien took out two shadow orbs from his belt, handing one over to Lee. The Ninja performed a series of hand signs with his free hand and the orbs would then begin to glow a deep purple color as a result. The Monk just stood by and watched Raien do his thing.

Meanwhile, Ray and Thiji were close behind the _Battle Vixens' _trail, following the carnage wrought by Lupi's fury. They would then hear an audible screech from the west, which were their cue to hide once more…

Ray: Now what?

Thiji, whispering: We wait. If they took the bait, then we proceed as planned.

Ray: And if they don't?

Thiji: Then we'll have no choice but to fight them.

The falcon lands on Elua's arm and reports in.

Elua: Good boy, Mukuhawk! He says that he's spotted Lee and Raien over to the east of here!

Lupi: Perfect! I want to personally thank them for "saving" us!

Aege: We're right behind you…

Heal-Do: But the Jungle is southwest!

Lupi: We kick their asses, _then _we conquer the Jungle! That way we'll have one less headache to deal with; I doubt those _Holy Soldiers_ are any real challenge! Mukuhawk, show us where they are!

She storms off with the falcon leading her, with the Blacksmith and the Huntress close behind.

Aege: That's _Holy _Saviors, sis…

The Assassin looked around for a moment to survey her surroundings, then headed east with her sisters. She knew something was off, but she also knew that her voice wouldn't be heard at this point. The Gun-Knight would congratulate Thiji with a high five before coming out of hiding.

Ray: Now, southwest right?

Thiji: Yes.

Their walk hastens into a brisk running pace as they continue where the _Battle Vixens _stopped. It seemed that Thiji's strategy was going perfectly – all that was left was to reconvene with his comrades.

With her lance poised to strike, Lupi's entire body began to shimmer into a golden color, increasing her charging speed until they came across the clearing where Raien and Lee were resting – and they were still there! Could they have possibly forgotten the plan?

Aege: Sister! Straight ahead!

Lupi: Oh, ho-ho, yes! Now you're gonna feel the flames of my wrath! Haaaa…!

The Knight charged with all her might, preparing a Spear Stab attack once she was within range. The two noticed quickly and got to their feet, but she was coming at such great speeds that they couldn't react in time.

Lupi: You're DEAD! **SPEAR STAB! **Mraa!

Her fire-forged lance stabbed the both of them, erupting in a small blast of flames that struck the both of them directly in the chest, knocking them backwards a couple yards and sliding along the forest floor. Lupi hoisted her lance over her shoulders and gave a triumphant grunt as she saw Lee and Raien lie incapacitated before her.

Aege: Wow… You totally caught them unawares, big sister.

Elua: Even _your _strength scares me sometimes!

Lupi: I told you ladies! The best defense will always be a good offense!

Heal-Do: Wow… It's unbelievable, but you really did strike them down with a single blow. That was impressive, Lupi!

The sisters showered the Knight with praise, hugging each other in victory that two of _White Trinity's_ four elite members were out of the picture. However, their small moment of victory would be curtailed when Elua pointed out that the bodies of Lee and Raien were beginning to vanish into black smoke.

Elua: Whoa, you killed them so hard that they turned into ashes!

Heal-Do: Uh, sister, I don't think that's the case…

Aege: Yeah, where's the remains?

Lupi: What…?

Elua: Wait, now that you mention it… There's no trace of them left! What the heck did Lupi hit just now?!

Lupi's growl grew and grew until she let all her pent-up anger out in an infuriating roar that could be heard throughout the whole forest. Just to the west of the _Battle Vixens _were the real Lee and Raien, spectating from the shadows…

Lee: What technique was that again?

Raien: My **Illusionary Shadow** technique. It makes mirror images of ourselves that "block" physical attacks.

Lee: So you made clones of ourselves. Nice! Well, now we have an even _more _pissed-off Lupi. We should get going before they do.

Raien: Yeah, good point. Still got some of that Agility Up?

The Wizard and the Gun-Knight continued their advance south and finally went west as they reached the center of the area.

Thiji: Not much farther now…

Ray: Yeah! All that's left are the _Holy Saviors!_

The two would soon find themselves beset by a large pack of Vagabond Wolves. Ray detached his pistol from his sword and tried to harry them with bullets, with little effect. After having exhausted his entire magazine, he reattaches it to the blade and keeps running. Thiji was unable to stop them in time due to them closing in.

"Nope!" said a voice from the east. Everyone stopped and looked before a volley of shuriken and spirit spheres struck the wolf pack, wounding them and causing them all to retreat. From the bushes were Raien and Lee, arriving just in time to save their skins.

Thiji: Thank you both.

Raien: Mm-hmm!

Lee: Good to see you two again. That plan of yours worked like a charm, Thiji. I'm both shocked _and _impressed. I should trust you more.

Thiji: Don't worry about it. War _is _about deception, after all.

Ray: Now that we've had our reunion, we can finally get to that Emperium Jungle! With the _Battle Vixens _behind, we have a chance!

The four cheer and continue on until they came across another section of the forest which was more densely covered by vegetation, and the sound of water could be heard from the southwest. After taking a look around, they decided to head north where the path forked. Before they would turn left upon reaching the end of the path, they saw the _Holy Saviors _on the opposite end of the forest.

Lee: Awesome! We caught up to them!

Ray: That didn't take long at all!

Momiji: Lady Tsubaki! We have company!

Tsubaki: What?! (Growls) How did they catch up to us so quickly…?!

Suddenly, they heard a screech from above.

Raien: Oh, don't freaking tell me -!

Elua, shouting: Down, Mukuhawk!

The Falcon strikes at _White Trinity, _harassing them with his beak before soaring back to Elua's side. The Huntress jumped off a cliff and landed between the two guilds, along with Heal-Do, Aege, and Lupi.

Tsubaki: You all just don't know when to quit, do you…

Lee: No way… They got here so fast…!

Ray: Those are some quick-movin' women, that's for sure…

Momiji: Lady Tsubaki! Let us show them that we mean business!

Lady Tsubaki: Yes. Let's.

The three bring their hands together and focus their energy into an orb of divine light. The _Vixens _would set their eyes on _White Trinity, _but the shine emitting from the orb caught their attention.

Lupi: Ugh… what the hell is that?!

Aege: Damn, that's bright!

Thiji: Oh, no. They're attempting to blind us!

Ray: Wait, what?!

Raien: SHIT!

Botan & Momiji: By the power of Odin!

The orb explodes in a brilliant display of holy light, blinding the others long enough for them to make their escape yet again. Tsubaki chuckled and followed the twins to the center of the dense forest while the others recovered from their temporary blindness.

Thiji: Dammit… They're getting away!

Lee: They're almost there…!

Elua: Not if… we get there first!

Ray: Think again – *hits a wall* oof! Think again…!

Heal-Do, fumbling about: Can't focus… everything is spinning…!

Tsubaki searches the immediate vicinity for anything out of the ordinary until she spotted a wall of vines that bore a different shade of green compared to the others – she knew that the Emperium Jungle lied within.

Botan: Emerald green vines! That has to be it!

Momiji: Quickly, to Lady Tsubaki's side!

Ray attempted to rush past the _Battle Vixens _recklessly as he reloaded his gun. Elua fired an arrow at him, but would be deflected by a kunai thrown by Raien. Thiji goes for broke and follows after them, dodging a Cart Revolution, while pelting her with ice bolts. Mukuhawk struck at the Wizard, giving Lupi the opportunity to attack, but Lee intervened with a flying side kick, colliding with her lance. His foot would then catch on fire.

Lee: Ow…! Hot, hot hot!

Lupi: Heh… idiot.

The Monk rolled out of the way from an attack by Heal-Do's katars, ignoring the searing pain from his foot to catch up with his comrades. After the scramble to the starting gate, _White Trinity _would make it to the Emperium Jungle, where they would find the _Holy Saviors _surrounded by a blue barrier.

Ray: What in the -?

The same blue barrier would appear around _White Trinity _as well. The _Battle Vixens _arrived last, and they would come in swinging, but the barrier forms around them as well, halting their movement. At the gate to greet them was a brown-eyed Kafra employee sporting gray hair in a long ponytail with a clipboard on her left hand.

"Welcome, brave guilds, to the Emperium Jungle. I am Kafra Blossom, and I have been given the task of monitoring this leg of the competition. The barriers around you are there for pacification purposes, so you will not be able to move until they are lifted."

She directs them all to a directory on the wall to her left. From the outside, it seemed like a simple piece of forest, but the Emperium Jungle was really another castle.

"The Emperium Jungle is a large, simulated forest environment which holds its own bevy of traps and monsters. We are now here in the southern portion of the Jungle, which is a small, dense forest. In the western section, there are vines that can be used to swing to and fro to avoid pitfalls; the entire northern section is filled with a swamp that covers the whole area; and lastly, the eastern section is shrouded in a thick, green mist, which is ideal for hiding methods."

Heal-Do shudders.

Heal-Do: Swamp water…? Ew…

Thiji: What, you _Battle Babies _aren't afraid of getting a little wet, are you?

Raien: That has a whole different context for me, brother.

Lupi: You know, I've just about enough of your shit, you pathetic –

Tsubaki: Hold your tongue! The Kafra lady is speaking!

Blossom bows her head to Tsubaki in thanks before continuing.

"At the very center of the Jungle lies the treasure that everyone is striving to acquire – the Emerald Emperium! The only way to attain this is by navigating your way to the northern part of the jungle. Courage and wit will be key to this competition."

"We have plenty of that!" boasted Ray, puffing out his chest.

"However, there is a catch," Kafra Blossom warned. "Once acquired, the Emerald Emperium must be presented to me, where I will be waiting by the southern gate. The person that presents it to me will be deemed victorious and will claim the Emeperium Jungle and its stone for their respective guild. Lastly, among the many dangers that the Emperium Jungle has to offer, there have been rumors of an ancient creature lurking about in the Jungle. Stay alert for clues, and avoid conflict with the beast if you can."

Everyone nods, acknowledging Kafra Blossom's warning.

Blossom: For arriving here first, the _Holy Saviors _will receive a one-minute headstart.

Botan & Momiji: All right!

Lupi: (Grumbles)

Blossom: _White Trinity_ will proceed next, and then the _Battle Vixens._ Best of luck, and may the best guild succeed! _Saviors, _you may begin when the barrier is lifted!

The two guilds took the time to rest and recover as much as possible before their turn would proceed. Kafra Blossom walks toward the southern gate and seals the entrance to prevent anyone from entering – or leaving - the facility. She lifts the barrier for the _Holy Saviors, _and they would be off. During this time of respite, _White Trinity _would huddle amongst themselves to strategize…

Thiji: Swamps, bogs, and pitfalls…

Lee: Oh, my.

Raien: Who's going where?

Ray: Lee and I should stay in the forest. We can fend off anyone and distract them! Maybe we can look for some hidden paths that could help us, too!

Thiji: Very well, then. I will take the eastern path to the stone.

Raien: I'll track them down through the vines to the west!

The _Battle Vixens _were doing the same thing whilst Aege was tempering her sisters' weapons…

Elua: That bog looks sketchy… Mukuhawk and I should go there; his sight will keep us from being lost!

Heal-Do, to Aege: Where should you go, sister?

Aege: I can't really move through those vines since I'm carrying a cart with me at all times. The thing's like an extra weapon for me.

Heal-Do: I'll deal with the vines, don't worry. You can stay with Big Sister.

Lupi: Fine with me. I have my _own _plan, anyway.

After a full minute, Kafra Blossom lowered the barrier around _White Trinity _and gave them the go-ahead to begin. The four charge out through the starting tunnel and commence their search for the Emerald Emperium. As soon as they cleared it, they found themselves surrounded by what appeared to be a bunch of living sticks with weird-looking faces.

Ray: What the hell?! Greatest Generals?!

Thiji: Guardians of a land that has been beyond people's interest. Because of negligence, they ruthlessly attack passersby in anger.

Ray: We'll turn them into firewood; you two go!

The Gun-Knight shoots open a path to his left and right, giving Thiji and Raien the window of opportunity to move. Dodging a couple swipes from the Greatest Generals, they flee successfully and split up.

Lee: Just like the Izlude Arena all over again, huh, buddy?

Ray: You and I remember the Izlude Arena _very_ differently.

As they fought, Raien would make his pursuit down the western path. Without a second thought, he began swinging on the vines as he avoided the pitfalls strewn about the ground. He would then hear a rustle nearby, alerting him to Botan and Momiji, who were waiting for someone to come waltzing by. The twins came from both sides, swinging towards the Ninja in an attempt to pincer him, but he simply loosened his grip on the vine he was holding and slid down several feet, causing them to collide with each other.

"Well, at least I know _you two _are here…" remarked the Ninja. The two rubbed their heads and growled angrily.

"That was a bad idea…" spoke the red Acolyte

"We mustn't give up! Chase after him!" said the blue Acolyte right after, enhancing their speed with Agility Up.

Ray and Lee took out the Greatest Generals and searched the area for more monsters. It was quiet for a while, and they were allowed a short moment of rest before poisonous spores would begin hopping their way from the east.

Lee: Whoa!

Ray: Oh, the action continues! *sheathes sword; cocks pistols* Showtime…

The horde of spores continued their march until the earth suddenly began to shake. The soft ground beneath the spores crumbled as they fell into a deep fissure.

Ray: Holy shit! Earthquake?!

Lee: N-No… Earth _Blacksmith!_

They lose their balance and fall on their rears as Lee points over to Aege, sporting her Slaughter Axe which rested on her broad shoulders.

Aege: Well, I'd say that was too close to call.

Ray: Damn! You again!

Lee: You nearly casted us inside a fissure! You will pay for that!

Aege: By all means, I would love to see you try! *wink*

Ray: With pleasure!

Putting away one of his pistols and reattaching the other back onto his blade, Ray would charge the Blacksmith, his finger on the trigger, and would deliver a Bowling Bash to his foe, but Aege would guard the attack with her axe. Just as their weapons collided, Ray pulled the trigger on his revolver, releasing a round and sending a shockwave through the blade, resulting in an explosion of fire that forced Aege back.

Ray: We ain't as weak as you think!

Suddenly, out from the tunnel charged Elua and Heal-Do, immediately splitting off in different directions as Lupi bulldozed her way through, brandishing her Hellfire Lance as usual. Before Lee could make an attempt to stop the other two, he was overrun by the eldest sister, who threw a fire ball at him, causing some of the vegetation around them to burn from the excess flames.

Lee, grunting: Shit… They just came out of nowhere…

He would the notice the angry female Knight attempting to cleave herself a shortcut from the southern wall that would lead to the Emerald Emperium.

"Are you crazy, or just stupid?!" shouted the Monk. "We're supposed to go to the _northern _area for the stone! Whoa!"

Lupi's rage was made apparent as she attempted to swing back at Lee, warning him to stay away. Her lance was glowing orange as well.

"Shut up, you! Go suck a flamethrower!" she taunted, swinging her axe yet again, launching a fire ball at both her and Ray. The surprise attack struck Ray as his coat caught on fire, giving Aege the chance to kick him in the chest, causing him to fall and followed with a downward swing of her axe, only to miss as the Gun-Knight quickly rolled to his right.

"Lupi. Careless as always. She was never one to follow the rules to the letter, but when she's pissed, her weapon does the talking for her," addressed Aege. "But now I can land the _hissatsu waza _I've been waiting to use on you guys since our first battle at Mt. Mjolnir."

With a smirk, the Blacksmith would kick her cart aside and would begin channeling earth energy onto her axe. Ray was still on the ground, unable to move due to the scorching damage wrought by Lupi's flames, leaving him wide open.

"Ray…!" gasped Lee from afar, noticing that he was about to be in incredible pain. Aege reached a full charged, and inhaled deeply, taking in the glorious moment where her favorite attack would finally land. With all her might, she yelled, **"Hammer Fall!" **before springing high into the air, and coming would let gravity do its work as she came crashing down upon the Gun-Knight.

"No…!

It seemed that Aege was in the clear as the resulting hit made an ear-piercing clang, followed by a powerful shockwave bursting outward from the point of impact. The sound could be heard throughout the entire Jungle, and the earth shook slightly, which alerted Thiji, who was making his way through the bog.

The Wizard disregarded the noise and continued on.

"I must press on," he thought out loud. "They said they could handle themselves, and I will have to trust their judgment."

Just then he would hear a voice behind him, followed by the flapping of wings. He turned around and saw the fog lifting, until an arrow had flew by him, followed by the falcon Mukuhawk striking at the Wizard with his wings, staggering him. "Tch… Perfect. I was expecting Heal-Do to come down this way."

"Well, it would please you to know that she's already ahead of us!" spoke Elua, emerging from the mist with her falcon on her arm.

"What…?"

"Yup! We're merely controlling the other parts of the Jungle until she sneaks away with the Emerald Emperium!"

"Smart tactic… for once," complimented the Wizard.

Back near the entrance, Aege had opened her eyes, and then she found her descent being halted by Lee, who had just blocked against the attack with his arms, the five Spirit Spheres circling him being absorbed into his body to activate his ability. This would exponentially nullify most of the damage he would have normally taken from the Hammer Fall.

To her astonishment, Aege gasped.

"How… I don't even…" she said in a hushed voice.

"**Body Relocation…"** he answered. He apparently teleported away from Lupi to evade her onslaught and ran the rest of the way just in time to stop Aege's attack and ultimately saving Ray.

"I… fucking. Hate you…" seethed the Blacksmith. Lee then focused his energy into his palm and struck the Blacksmith in the stomach with an Excruciating Palm attack. The resulting blow sent Aege flying, and Lee dropped to his knees to check up on Ray.

"Are you all right, man?" he asked, panting with effort.

"Yeah… Thanks a lot for that!" the Gun-Knight answered, heaving a sigh of relief.

The Monk helped him up to his feet and shook his hand before he would receive another fire ball to the face, sending Lee flying as well.

"You idiots forgot someone…" taunted Lupi, continuing to hack away at the wall.

"Hey!" Ray shouted, charging toward the lady Knight, firing gunshots from his revolver. She would turn around and block the bullets until she saw him leap into the air to deliver a downward slash upon her, when she easily defended against.

"Get lost, punk!" groaned Lupi, forcing Ray out of the deadlock, grabbing his leg with her gauntlet and finally throwing him into the deeper parts of the forest so that she could continue making her own path.

Back over at the eastern section…

Thiji: …But you forgot one little factor, my dear.

The Wizard slowly reaches for his staff, while Elua readies her Gust Bow and draws an arrow back.

Elua: And what's that?

Thiji: Evasion! **Water Ball!**

Reacting quickly, Thiji used the water in the air to conjure a multitude of water spheres and hurled them all at Elua and Mukuhawk, splashing them repeatedly in the face at high velocity. This gave the Wizard ample time to escape deeper into the Jungle.

Thiji, thinking: _With this, I should slow her down a smidgen._

The Huntress was sputtering, coughing out water in her lungs as Mukuhawk attempted to clear the fog around them once more, revealing a huge wall of ice before them.

Elua, coughing: Are you kidding me?! Mukuhawk, shatter that thing! **Blitz Beat!**

Mukuhawk: Cacaw!

Her trusty companion flies straight toward the ice wall and shatters it with a mighty swipe of its wings. After a short cheer, they advance until they came across another ice wall.

Elua: What the hell? Another?! **Blitz Beat!**

Mukuhawk flies once more toward the ice wall, and with two consecutive strikes with its wings, crumbles the second barrier. However, they would once again be face-to-face with a third wall of ice, which annoyed the Huntress and her pet.

Elua: Okay, really…? Whatever… **Steel Crow!**

Reinforcing her falcon with enhanced strength, she commands another Blitz Beat from Mukuhawk to strike down the barrier, but it took several more strikes for the falcon to break it. With some effort, the falcon breaks through at the expense of its vitality, but flies back to Elua all the same. Elua petted him and advanced into – you guessed it – yet _another _ice wall!

Elua, screaming: WHAT THE SHIT IS THIS?! THIS ISN'T FUNNY, WIZARD! **BLITZ BEAT, FULL POWER!**

Channeling her anger into Mukuhawk, he gathered his strength and collided with the wall of ice with all his might. For a brief moment, nothing happened, until cracks began forming on the wall. It would finally give and break before them. The recoil that Mukuhawk suffered from repeated attacks on hardened surfaces weakened it immensely, rendering the falcon unable to fly, and simply fell to the forest floor…

Elua: Oh, no…! My dearest Mukuhawk!

She hurried to his side and picked up the defenseless falcon, frowning. Before them was the Wizard, chuckling to himself, and more importantly, his brilliance.

"What are you laughing at…?" said Elua, looking up to Thiji. "How did you even…?"

"All warfare is based on deception…" spoke the Wizard. "If the enemy general is obstinate and prone to anger, insult and enrage him, so that he will be irritated and confused, and without a plan will recklessly advance against you. With each wall, the following the previous was more durable, and after clearing the first, you became more and more irritated, ordering your pet to strike with greater strength at the cost of its own health. When the last one appeared before you, you struck with so powerful a blow that it rendered your falcon unable to fight further."

This revelation both astounded the Huntress and frightened her. She held the weakened Mukuhawk close to her chest while gazing in awe at the Wizard.

"_He… he thought of all that up? In just the time it took for me to clear the mist? I was so caught up in my own anger that he manipulated me into using Mukuhawk to break the walls, when I could have just done so myself! Wow… he truly _is _a strategist!" _she thought to herself.

Because of her incapacitated pet, she was unable to continue without her extra pair of eyes, and without Heal-Do to mend the injuries, would have to resort to traditional methods of potions and bandages. Thiji continued advancing toward the northern section when he noticed large footprints on the ground. And then it hit him…

"_We understand that this maze will be full of tricky monsters as well as sightings of giant footprints, which must mean that a big, bad monster is waiting within!"_

The moment of the broadcast from earlier that morning flashed back in his mind. This would strike a small sense of alertness in the Wizard, making sure that whatever created those footprints does not get the jump on him. Proceeding with caution, he had entered the northern region of the Emperium Jungle, where the fog had begun to fade away, revealing all the amenities of an actual swamp: brackish waters; dry-land protrusions, and plenty of aquatic vegetation.

The spots where there were dry land had the same footprints as the one he saw on the way here. Then, in the distance, he would hear the sound of a sharp object piercing someone's flesh, followed by what sounded like a bear growling and hitting the floor with a loud thud.

"A bear…?"

Then he looked back and scanned the footprints once more. They were similar to that of the Bigfoot monsters that live in caves, but there were some that were much larger.

He took a long whiff of the air and caught a strange smell that didn't seem to fit the swamp at all… "Tobacco…? Who or what could possibly be smoking here?"

*THUD! THUD! THUD!*

Something big was definitely approaching Thiji. He kept his composure and turned around to see what exactly he was dealing with. As he faced the approaching creature, he would receive a large cloud of tobacco smoke to his face, simply closing his eyes to prevent irritation.

The monster hat a small top hat on his head, and was decorated with orange fur, with a tobacco pipe in his right paw. He looked like a bipedal tiger, with a gang of Bigfoots at his back.

"I say. Who dares to be so bold as to come armed in my domain and what, what?" snorted the tiger, sporting a tawdry British accent. "Normans, no doubt. Hmph! The nerve of you lot. First you get the stones to say we've wrong you in the past, and then ya' go and destroy the mountains with your minin' and explorin'. You, mate, are not welcome in these parts."

"And who may I ask might you be?" the Wizard politely stated. With a tip of his hat, he breathes out another puff of smoke and replies, "Eddga's the name. And these are me comrades, the Bigfoots. We've been guardin' that lovely green rock over there for months, now."

"You must be the big, bad monster that the Kafra mentioned… Looks can indeed be deceiving," the Wizard thought aloud.

"Doubtin' me powers, are we? Well, then…" said Eddga, laughing heartily before focusing fire energy into his fist. In the distance was Raien, taking down a group of Bigfoots – no doubt part of Eddga's gang. He had noticed Thiji from afar, and the monster he was dealing with that slammed his fist into the ground, causing a huge wave of fire to spread outward from his feet. The Wizard quickly dodged by jumping backwards, and fired Cold Bolts to counter Eddga.

Raien: Thiji! Thank God you're okay.

Thiji: Yeah, you know. Same old, same old.

Raien: Who's your friend?

Thiji: That tiger over there is Eddga. He's the big monster that the news warned about this morning.

Raien: He looks pissed.

Thiji: Yeah, well, apparently he's an ancient tiger that's been defied by the natives of this land. Now they attack any travelers or adventurers that are unfortunate enough to meet him. Adventurers like us.

Eddga throws a volley of fireballs at the two of them, but the Wizard conjures an ice wall in front of them to shield the two, causing the flames to fizzle.

Thiji: By the way, have you seen either Tsubaki or Heal-Do around?

Raien: Nah, man. Sorry. I think they're further in.

Tsubaki: Speak of the devil, and he shall appear… Looking for me?

From the shadows behind them emerged the Priestess, immediately sic'ing her Shikigami after them. With his ninja reflexes, Raien made swift hand gestures and summons the wind to his side.

"**Wind Blade!" **he cried, causing gale swords to emerge in the wind and cut the Shikigami, stopping it in its tracks.

"My Shikigami…!" the Priestess gasped. "You wretches! You will pay for this!"

She blasted them both with Holy Light as a diversionary tactic so that she could slip by and make her way deeper into the swamp. The two would begin their pursuit of the Priestess, but would be caught by surprise as the twins, Botan & Momiji, sprung out from the brackish water (though disgusted that they were hiding under there to begin with).

With their advance halted, Tsubaki had a clear shot at the wall where the Emerald Emperium was waiting for them. However, Heal-Do had arrived there first, and was seen attempting to tear it down. Apparently she must have utilized her innate cloaking abilities to sneak by the competition with little trouble.

Heal-Do: (Gasps) Thiji…?

Thiji: Heal-Do…!

Botan: Lady Tsubaki!

Tsubaki: Right. (To Heal-Do) What say you and I take out the trash? They are horribly outnumbered, and they have been a thorn on your side for quite a while now.

Heal-Do: True… as you wish.

The Assassin agreed to the temporary truce, and began to surround the two, along with the twins. Heal-Do seemed hesitant to strike as she kept her gaze affixed on Thiji.

Raien: What the hell is this…?

Tsubaki: Now, surrender! There is no escape for you.

Thiji then feels a pang in his arm and falls to his knees from the pain.

Thiji: Ngh…!

Raien: Brother…?

Heal-Do, thinking: _Oh, no… He's hurt! I can't cause him further suffering… I won't…_

Thiji: I leave this to you…

Botan: Eh?

Momiji: What is he doing?

Tsubaki: Tired already? Pathetic… This will be a slaughter!

Searching the area, the Ninja spots numerous black ash trees that grew within the area. He puts his left hand into the swamp water after giving a confident smirk and made the _tora _hand sign with his right hand, putting it several inches from his face as he focused. A trail of blue energy begins expanding outward from his left hand and creeps its way up the trees…

"_I have to focus my chakra on the trees… Heh, I've waited for an opportunity as golden as this!" _the Ninja thought to himself. The trees around them that have been touched by the chakra begin to glow a faint blue color...

"Now… watch and learn… imbeciles," Thiji grunted with effort.

"_Now _what is happening this time?!" growled Tsubaki, staring at the trees in confusion.

The leaves on the trees began to fall from its branches, and the chakra expended by Raien kept them afloat in the air. They would then turn from a bluish glow to a yellowish one as the leaves began to resemble tiny lightning bolts.

"Behold the might of the clouds! **Raiton: Thunder Shield!**" echoed the Ninja, unleashing his modified version of the Crimson Fire Formation technique.

Setting her sights on the Ninja, Heal-Do revealed a fan of knives and enchanted poison onto them.

"I must stop his attack! **Venom Knife!**" she cried, chucking a storm of poisoned daggers at the Ninja. In the blink of an eye, the electrified petals collapse upon Raien, shielding him from the knives and ricocheting in all directions.

Botan: Uwaah!

Momiji: Whaaa!

Tsubaki: Tch…! What will a bunch of leaves do?

A small wave of electrified leaves fly toward the twins, sending tiny jolts that collided with their bodies and virtually paralyzing them.

Tsubaki, gazing at the fallen twins: Impossible…! You still have this much energy?

Heal-Do: I failed to stop it… But I won't give up! Haah…!

The Assassin dashes towards Raien, who sends another flurry of petals outward. With her skill, Heal-Do could outmaneuver the petals and deflect them with her Twin Katars of Frozen Icicles. Raien became pressed when he saw his adversary approaching closer and closer.

"_I won't be able to keep up unless…"_ Raien had said in his mind before stretching his arms outward, releasing all of the petals that had shielded him and swarms the Assassin.

"What…?! I can't… keep up…!" she grunted, holding her katars against her face to deflect them in desperation. The continuous impact slowly pushed Heal-Do back toward a wall, clashing with it like a storm of metal. _"No…! I've reached my limit…! I have to… to retreat…!"_

In a last ditch effort, Heal-Do twirled her body to fan away the lightning storm before diving into the waters, fleeing from battle. Tsubaki follows suit shortly after, helping her comrades with a Blessing to remove the paralysis so that they could escape as well. Unbeknownst to Tsubak, however, she was retreating in the same direction as Heal-Do.

With their opponents gone, Raien lowered his hand, exhaling from the large amounts of chakra that he spent…

Raien: I'll spare 'em just this once. You okay, brother?

Thiji: That went better than I anticipated.

The Wizard lets go of his injured arm and stands up perfectly, much to Raien's surprised.

Raien: What the _fuck,_ you were faking it?! I didn't expect that!

Thiji: "All warfare is based on deception. Therefore, when capable, feign incapacity; when active, inactivity."

Raien: Geez, man, you're hard to read sometimes. But I thank you for giving me a chance to show off. Now, on to that barrier…

Eddga: Did you blokes forget about me?!

The ancient pipe-smoking tiger trudged along, catching up to the two, a fireball dancing on his paw.

"So, you think you're worthy of takin' that?" he chuckled. "Prove it!"

"Just another day in Rune-Midgarts…" sighed Thiji, getting ready to fight.

Meanwhile, as they were distracted, Tsubaki doubled back and continued down the path to the Emerald Emperium. Running towards the wall protecting it, she began to chant an incantation to deactivate it, until Heal-Do had emerged from the brackish waters below…

Heal-Do: Sorry, but that Emerald Emperium belongs to the _Battle Vixens!_

Tsubaki: Haha! You think you have a chance to stop me? Though a Priestess I may be, you are not aware of what I am capable of!

Heal-Do: Then show me…

Charging at Tsubaki with her katars, Heal-Do struck at her with swift jabs, but the Priestess was quicker, and dodged them with ease. Then she would catch her off-guard by striking the waters beneath her, splashing Tsubaki with a small wave of water…

"You wench…! You will pay for such tricks!" Tsubaki shouted in anger, spitting out the swamp water in her in her lungs before conjuring a shadowy derivative of Holy Light that spiraled toward the Assassin, hitting her directly in the chest and sending her spinning toward a wall with great force.

"Nnnh…" groaned Heal-Do as she tried to open her eyes, seeing Tsubaki inching toward her. By parting her hands, the waters beneath them rose, surrounding Tsubaki from all sides. "I've got you now!"

Throwing her arms downward, Heal-Do brought the briny water crashing upon Tsubaki's form, nearly drowning her. Before that happened, however, she stood back up and called forth her Shikigami.

"I've had enough of you… Go, my Shikigami!" The serpent lunges forward at Tsubaki's command, and Heal-Do would shield herself using her katars, but then the serpent would freeze in midair as it slowly turned to stone. "What sorcery is _this?!_"

"**Stone Curse!"** announced Thiji, emerging from behind them with Raien in tow, who sent a lightning bolt blasting through the two of them to hit the barrier repeatedly, knocking Heal-Do and Tsubaki off their feet. But then a _massive _fireball was seen racing towards them. Raien dodged and it would strike at the barrier, which packed more than enough power to deteriorate its strength until finally burst in a thunderous explosion. Everyone, even Lupi, Aege, Lee, Ray, and Elua, whom where in different areas of the Jungle, jumped at the sound.

"I won't let you lot take that stone so easily!" roared an enraged Eddga, stomping towards Thiji and company.

"Oh, to hell with this!" yelled Lupi as she backed up from the wall a fair distance before charging her lance with flame energy. **"Charge… Attack!" **With all her might into one powerful blow, Lupi drives her lance into the wall and manages to crack it. The added fire properties spread through the cracks of the wall, burning everything away as the cracks became larger and larger until finally falling apart and crumbling in flames.

Thiji, Raien and the others notice the wall on the opposite end falling, and begin rushing toward the Emperium Stone.

Lupi: Hahahahaha! YEAH! Later, losers!

Aege: Sister, wait up!

Lee: Running away?!

Ray: Get 'er! Let's show off _our_ _hissatsu waza_!

Lee: Ready! **Spiritual Endowment!**

Using his Spirit Spheres, Lee transfers all five to the Gun-Knight, who then uses the recoil from his gun-sword to propel him upwards into the air. The Spirit Spheres are absorbed into the blade, imbuing it with holy energy as Ray utilizes his Tracking skill to prepare a blast of fire aimed at the mobile Monk. With a squeeze of the trigger, he sends a ball of holy fire outward, and as Lee somersaulted, kicked the ball before landing on his feet.

"Behold the Sacred Fire Blitz!" exclaimed the dynamic duo. The sphere collides with the ground beneath Lupi & Aege and sends the girls flying. Taking this chance, they ignored their injuries from battle and ran toward the path set before them to the Emerald Emperium. It was not long before _White Trinity _came upon the radiance of the green stone as they all stopped and beheld its splendorous glow…

Ray: Yes! We did it!

Raien: The Emerald Emperium…

Lee: This is it, guys!

Thiji: We meet at last.

The Wizard then notices the reunited _Holy Saviors _and Heal-Do racing toward them. Ray and Lee find Aege and Lupi coming in hot as well.

Lupi: Oh, _man, _are you all dead now!

Tsubaki: The stone! Hand it over, if you please!

Raien: Dammit, we're surrounded!

Lee: What do we do now?!

Thiji: "All war is based on deception. When near, make it appear that you are far away; when far away, that you are near." Listen, for I will only explain this once…

Thiji quickly gave his plan out to his companions and put up two Ice Walls – one on both sides.

Elua: Not this again! I won't fall for you this time!

Elua swooped in from above and let go of Mukuhawk's talon, landing before her sisters and shooting a wind arrow toward the wall, while Heal-Do struck at the wall on her end with a double attack, shattering it. But _White Trinity _was no longer visible! The Emerald Emperium laid wide open before them.

They looked around wildly, searching eagerly for the _Trinities_. Raien, however, was silently perched on the ceiling of the jungle, sitting upside-down with a clear view of the Emperium Stone.

"_I only have one shot at this… I'm running out of chakra alone being up so high. I'm down to my last shadow orb, too…" _He thought as he took out a shadow orb and applied it to his katana which he silently unsheathed. He cut the ceiling with great speed after quietly uttering, **"Mist Slash…"** and became invisible. Now blending in with the shadows, this next maneuver had to be done flawlessly, or the strategy would fail.

Taking a deep breath before exhaling, he cut off the chakra flow to his feet and finally succumbed to gravity as he fell from above, his katana gleaming in the light of the Emperium Stone. Touching back down to earth, the Ninja gave a blindingly fast cut to the Emerald Emperium after uttering the words, **"Shadow Slash!"**

Everyone stood silently in awe as the air stood still, their eyes fixed on the precious green stone as if time had stopped…

Lupi: Why… did you…?

Tsubaki: What… what have you done…?

Heal-Do: Oh, no… the Emerald Emperium…!

Mere seconds later, the stone cut in two, the top half sliding off from its pedestal before the entire object exploded in a cloud of smoke. Then, he flipped tatami mats from the ground to distract them further as he made his escape.

Raien: Peace out, bitches!

Aege: What the hell just -?!

Lupi: Get them! Get them, get them, _and GET THEM!_

Raien quickly made his way down the western portion of the Jungle, forgoing the vines and instead wall running his way to the other side. He is met by Lee, whom is mirroring the Ninja on the opposite side.

Ray and Thiji quickly swim out of the northern section and make their way down from the east. But then a katar would suddenly be brought to their necks…

Heal-Do: Thiji… I don't want to hurt you. Please, surrender the Emerald Emperium.

Ray: Oh, but you have _no _problem at all hurting _me!_

The Wizard shuts him up with a hand to his mouth.

Thiji: Fine, Heal-Do. If you insist.

The Wizard willingly hands over the stone to the Assassin, only to be interrupted by the persistent Eddga and his mob of Bigfoots, swiping at the stone. Ray caught it, ignoring the giant brute, and continued on their way.

Ray: Man, out of bullets, out of mana, out of items… We've used just about all our resources on this fight alone!

Thiji: What happened to yours?

Ray: I had to fight off that crazy Lupi and her earthshattering sisters!

Raien and Lee dodge a myriad of beams and blasts from the _Holy Saviors_ as Thiji and Ray ducked from Spear Boomerangs; jumped away from Blitz Beats, and even shrugged off some zeny (Aege used Mammonite as a last resort). As they all gathered at the southern region, both the _Battle Vixens _and the _Holy Saviors _give it their all in this chase, but they came up just short, and after a grueling competition, Ray presented the Emerald Emperium to Kafra Blossom, who then gave it a tap with her finger, causing a green light to fill the entire facility.

"So… it looks like there are some worthy Normans amongst the rubbish after all…" huffed Eddga. Putting his top hat back on, he teleported out of the Emperium Jungle to somewhere deep within Payon Forest, showing no ill will toward the guilds.

"The Emperium Jungle is conquered by _White Trinity! _Victory is yours!" announced Kafra Blossom, escorting them out in their honor. The _Battle Vixens _and the _Holy Saviors, _however, leave the Jungle in sopping, soggy, and sweltering defeat…

Tsubaki: Unbelievable! Ugh…! I am so filthy… And I smell like a sewer! This has been aggravating day…

Botan & Momiji: That makes three of us, Lady Tsubaki…

The twins exit, tugging on Tsubaki's robes.

Lupi: AAAARRRGHH! Just peachy! We're all soaking wet thanks to all that crap that we had to go through inside there!

Elua: This just can't be happening to us… Not only did we lose to _White Trinity, _but in a way, we lost to those _Holy Saviors, _too… This just can't be happening to us…

Aege: Well, open your eyes, sister, because it _is!_

Heal-Do wallows in silence, following her sisters out. She then notices Thiji, whom was looking at her, stopping for a moment…

Heal-Do, thinking: _My lord Thiji… I feel awful for what I almost did to you back there. I would never hurt you, but I did it for my guild, and for my sisters… Please forgive me._

The Water Elf sheds a small tear that was not visible to the Wizard and catches up with her sisters.

Botan: Lady Tsubaki, we have to get stronger still!

Momiji: Yes! Please, train us in the holy ways!

Tsubaki: All right, fine… after we get out of these putrid clothes. (Thinking) _This is never going to work with just the three of us. We were outnumbered _and _outmatched. I overestimated these two. I have no other alternative; I must find _her...

_White Trinity _is celebrating their victory as they are escorted back personally by Kafra Blossom, whom was speaking with someone on her headpiece…

Ray: YES! _White Trinity, _as your leader, I declare that we are on a roll! That's three Emperium Stones under our belt!

Raien: Hell yeah! We rocked! Now to relax, wash up and get out of these clothes. Not necessarily in that order.

Thiji: No kidding; spending a few hours in there didn't exactly feel like a flower garden.

Lee: Ugh… I almost threw up having to deal with that swamp, and the creatures inside of it. But now it's over. We can relax again.

Thiji: We must keep a weather eye on the horizon until then… We will never know when the next challenge will rise.

Blossom: Yes. Understood. Thank you, ma'am.

She clicks a button on her headpiece and stops _White Trinity_.

"I have just received word from Kafra Headquarters. The news of your victory is spreading as we speak, and Kafra Nora will personally see you guys home to Prontera for a parade!" she happily proclaimed. The four boys cheered in unison and made their way back to Payon, where a Kafra representative would teleport them back, free of charge. The brave men and women would soon return to their respective homes and recuperate, and plan their next approach for the upcoming battles…

Later that evening, the festivities within Prontera would soon come to an end. The citizens of Rune-Midgarts began returning to their homes after celebrating the momentous victory of _White Trinity. _A woman robed in black approached the Prontera sanctuary, opening its double doors and stepping into the hallowed threshold of the Church of Odin.

She had made her way to the altar, where she prayed silently to herself. Botan & Momiji were there as well, offering their respects to the Allfather, though they remained in silence, acknowledging the woman only with a nod.

Taking a lantern from one of the pews, the lady removed her hood and revealed herself to be Tsubaki. She exited the altar and left the twins to themselves as she made a right turn into another section of the monastery, which was dimly lit.

Framed pictures of holy warriors conquering foes and slaying demons lined the halls, until she came across a chamber with a raised dais for praying. It was disturbingly quiet for Tsubaki, and the only source of light was the lantern she held.

Suddenly, she would find a silver blade pointed at her neck, gleaming like the sun…

"What are you doing here? Acolytes and Priests are forbidden from this section of the Sanctuary," said a woman, whose face was obscured by the shadows. Tsubaki looked up and gave a smirk before laughing.

"I see that you have not changed at all," she said. Her laughter would be cut short as the sword was brought closer to her neck.

"Do not patronize me, Tsubaki! You may be a Priestess, but your foul practices are frowned upon by the clergy of the Church of Odin!"

"And yet I am still allowed sanctuary within these hallowed halls; I am no less a sister of the Church as you are," Tsubaki retorted. After a brief moment of silence, the sound of a large tower shield banging on the floor rung throughout the stone halls. After a moment of silence, the sword is lowered and the lady scoffed.

"Why have you come?" asked the woman.

"We are at war, sister… The _Holy Saviors _needs its leader once more. You are the descendants of mighty warriors that led armies in the Holy War. You must take up the mantle and lead us to victory," the Priestess explained, bowing her head. "The Emperium Frontier is upon us, and _White Trinity _has gained much glory over the past few months. The _Battle Vixens _as well are fighting for dominance. Without someone to even the odds, the _Saviors _will –"

"_White Trinity?"_ the woman interrupted. "The very heroes that bravely clashes with those savages?"

In the woman's mind, memories would begin filling up. She recalled the battle at the Pharos Lighthouse, and of the terrible damage Lupi wrought to the swordswoman that stood at the van, bravely fending her off. She was grazed in the right hip, and her armor was set ablaze.

"White Trinity_… The rest is up… to you… My brothers… sisters… retreat…"_

Those words echoed back as she remembered seeing the ground beneath the swordswoman crumble, and fell into the ocean below. She was unconscious from the fall and was swept ashore against the rocky cliffs, just barely alive, until a fishing boat discovered her unconscious body and rescued her, taking the girl back to Alberta where she would get some food and some rest.

As the memories within the woman's mind subsided, she clenched the rosary around her neck, and her fist would shake in anger.

"The _Battle Vixens _are nothing but a group of bloodthirsty women bent on desecrating anything that they touch. They fight only for themselves, and they care little for others or the environment around them. And yet they bring the Church of Odin further dishonor by striking at our blessed guild? This travesty will no longer go unabated. Action must be taken. Swiftly. Decisively. And though _White Trinity_ may have aided us twice now, they, too, are our enemies for opposing my allies within the _Holy Saviors._ Very well, Tsubaki. I have heard your plea… and I will comply. In the name of King Tristan Gaebolg III, the _Holy Saviors _shall cut a path to the very heavens, where Valhalla awaits only the worthy."

The woman steps down from the dais… She sported long, brown hair with hazel-colored eyes. She wore the traditional Crusader armor, and her blade was different from the standard Crusader swords; it was a broadsword with a silver finish and a cross formed the quillon. She had a soft-looking face with delicate features, but had a commanding air about her – This woman was the very person she recalled in her flashbacks; she was the woman who fought valiantly against the _Battle Vixens _and suffered a near-fatal injury.

"And with Odin as my witness… I, Youmei, will claim victory for our guild in the Emperium Frontier."


End file.
